QUIC Transport Protocol
HTTP/3 runs on QUIC. Modern CDNs and browsers use it by default. It fixes TCP's head-of-line blocking problem for multiplexed requests.
What It Defines
Modern general-purpose transport protocol over UDP. Built-in TLS 1.3, multiplexed streams without head-of-line blocking, fast connection establishment. The transport layer for HTTP/3.
Canonical (Normative)
Convenient (Practical)
The canonical publication point for finalized RFCs. If a protocol is standardized as an RFC, the RFC Editor text is the normative final reference. Published by the IETF, IRTF, IAB, and independent stream.
Related Specs
DNS runs over UDP. QUIC and HTTP/3 run over UDP. Media and gaming often use UDP for low-latency delivery.
Every HTTPS connection, SMTP/IMAP over TLS, OAuth token exchange, and API call uses TLS. It is the foundational security layer.
HTTP/3 is the current performance frontier for web delivery. CDNs enable it automatically; understand it for performance tuning and debugging.