HTTP 2 client in Java 9

24 Oct 2023

Java 9 introduced built-in support for the HTTP/2 protocol, allowing developers to make use of the latest advancements in web communication. In this blog post, we will explore how to use the HTTP/2 client in Java 9 and the benefits it offers.

Introduction to HTTP/2
Setting up the HTTP/2 Client in Java 9
Making HTTP/2 Requests
Handling HTTP/2 Responses
Benefits of the HTTP/2 Client in Java 9
Conclusion

Introduction to HTTP/2

HTTP/2 is a major revision of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It introduces several improvements over its predecessor, HTTP/1.1, including faster page loading, reduced latency, and better bandwidth utilization.

Setting up the HTTP/2 Client in Java 9

To enable the HTTP/2 client in Java 9, you need to add the following module to your project’s module descriptor (module-info.java):

module com.example {
    requires jdk.incubator.httpclient;
}

Once you’ve added the module, you can start using the HTTP/2 client in your code.

Making HTTP/2 Requests

Creating an HTTP/2 client request is straightforward. Here’s an example that sends a GET request to a remote server:

import java.net.URI;
import java.net.http.HttpClient;
import java.net.http.HttpRequest;
import java.net.http.HttpResponse;

public class HttpClientExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        HttpClient httpClient = HttpClient.newHttpClient();
        HttpRequest request = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
                .uri(new URI("https://example.com"))
                .build();
        HttpResponse<String> response = httpClient.send(request, HttpResponse.BodyHandler.asString());
        System.out.println(response.body());
    }
}

In the above code, we create an instance of HttpClient using HttpClient.newHttpClient(). We then create an HttpRequest object with the desired URL and finally send the request using httpClient.send(). The response is obtained as an HttpResponse object.

Handling HTTP/2 Responses

The HttpResponse object contains various information about the response, including the response code, headers, and body. Here’s an example of how you can extract this information:

HttpResponse<String> response = httpClient.send(request, HttpResponse.BodyHandler.asString());

int responseCode = response.statusCode();
String responseBody = response.body();

System.out.println("Response Code: " + responseCode);
System.out.println("Response Body: " + responseBody);

Benefits of the HTTP/2 Client in Java 9

Here are some key benefits of using the HTTP/2 client in Java 9:

Improved Performance: The HTTP/2 protocol offers significant improvements over HTTP/1.1, such as multiplexing, header compression, and server push, resulting in faster and more efficient communication.
Simplified API: The HTTP/2 client API in Java 9 provides a simple and intuitive way to make HTTP/2 requests without the need for external dependencies or libraries.

Conclusion

Java 9’s built-in HTTP/2 client provides developers with a powerful tool to leverage the benefits of the HTTP/2 protocol in their applications. In this blog post, we explored how to set up the HTTP/2 client in Java 9 and make requests. We also discussed the benefits it offers, such as improved performance and a simplified API.

Table of Contents