Um estudo comparativo de desempenho entre as diferentes versões do protocolo HTTP

Abstract

This work presents a comparative analysis of HTTP protocol: HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3, motivated by the growing need to understand how these protocols behave in modern web applications, especially under increasing demands for performance and efficiency in different network conditions. The objective is to systematically evaluate how each version responds to variations in latency, packet loss, and concurrency, identifying their practical advantages and limitations. The methodology consists of implementing a standardized environment using the NGINX server, in which controlled and real experiments were conducted employing metrics such as throughput, total transfer time, and time to first byte. The experiments were carried out in three distinct scenarios—Local, LAN, and Cloud, allowing the observation of protocol behavior both in ideal networks and in degraded or real-world environments. The results indicate that the protocols exhibit complementary characteristics: HTTP/1.1 shows structural limitations, HTTP/2 maintains stable performance under high load, and HTTP/3 provides significant benefits in scenarios with latency and in specific conditions. It is concluded that the most appropriate version depends on the application context and the operating environment, highlighting the importance of understanding the particularities of each protocol.