In comparison to HTTP/2 and earlier versions of HTTP, HTTP/3, based on the QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) protocol, achieves lower latency, improved network adaptability, and enhanced security. Enabling HTTP/3 support in Nginx can enhance performance and user experience, with the following key benefits:
- Lower Latency: QUIC’s 0-RTT and 1-RTT handshake mechanisms reduce connection establishment and retransmission times, accelerating page loads.
- Multiplexing: HTTP/3 allows multiple requests over a single connection via UDP, offering better recovery and reduced blocking compared to TCP.
- Fast Recovery: QUIC uses custom congestion control algorithms to quickly recover from packet loss, improving transmission efficiency.
- Enhanced Security: As an application-layer encryption protocol, QUIC provides end-to-end encryption, safeguarding data from man-in-the-middle attacks.
- Improved Network Adaptability: QUIC enables changing IP addresses or ports without disrupting sessions, enhancing support for mobile devices switching between networks.
To enable QUIC support in Nginx, OpenSSL or BoringSSL must be integrated during compilation. Manual compilation is complex, using a precompiled version is more convenient.