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Re: [jetty-users] Missing http2-hpack jar causes connection to time out rather than throw an exception

On 9/5/23 02:40, Simone Bordet wrote:
Do you have pointers?

The RFC is quite clear that HPACK is mandatory for HTTP/2:
https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9113.html#name-field-section-compression-a

I asked chatgpt.  This is the full response:

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HTTP/2 does not strictly require HPACK support, but HPACK is a critical component of the HTTP/2 protocol for efficient header compression. HPACK is used to reduce the overhead of sending headers in each HTTP/2 request and response, which helps improve the performance of the protocol.

In the context you mentioned, the HTTP client library (Jetty HTTP client) likely relies on HPACK for header compression when making HTTP/2 requests. If the HTTP client library is missing the http2-hpack JAR or is not properly configured to use HPACK, it can lead to issues like timeouts and inefficient header handling.

So, while HTTP/2 technically can be operated without HPACK, it's highly recommended to have HPACK support for proper functioning and optimal performance. Without HPACK, the benefits of header compression provided by HTTP/2 would be lost, which could result in suboptimal performance and potentially even issues like the timeouts you described.
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I am aware that chatgpt is not perfect. I've used it to give me code writing pointers, and I usually find that its code suggestions only serve to give me ideas, they aren't often usable as-is. But so far it seems to be pretty good at covering facts established before 2021. I think details like this about RFCs fall into that category. But you are likely a far better expert than chatgpt on this topic.

What exactly are you seeing in the RFC that says it's required? I believe you, but I am apparently blind, because I can't see it.

Thanks,
Shawn



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