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Glossary/Security

ALPNApplication-Layer Protocol Negotiation

A TLS extension that lets client and server agree which application protocol to speak (HTTP/1.1, h2, h3).

When you connect to a modern HTTPS site, the TLS ClientHello includes ALPN protocol IDs the client supports: "h2,http/1.1". The server picks one in the ServerHello.

It's what enables HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 without needing a separate port from HTTPS. The Alt-Svc header is the related mechanism for advertising HTTP/3 (QUIC) availability for the next request.

See also