Bootstrapping WebSockets with HTTP/2
draft-mcmanus-httpbis-h2-websockets-02

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Network Working Group                                         P. McManus
Internet-Draft                                                   Mozilla
Intended status: Standards Track                       November 11, 2017
Expires: May 15, 2018

                  Bootstrapping WebSockets with HTTP/2
                 draft-mcmanus-httpbis-h2-websockets-02

Abstract

   This document defines a mechanism for running the WebSocket Protocol
   [RFC6455] over a single stream of an HTTP/2 connection.

Status of This Memo

   This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
   provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

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   This Internet-Draft will expire on May 15, 2018.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2017 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
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   (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
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   include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
   described in the Simplified BSD License.

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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   3.  The ENABLE_CONNECT_PROTOCOL SETTINGS Parameter  . . . . . . .   3
   4.  The Extended CONNECT Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   5.  Using Extended CONNECT To Bootstrap The WebSocket Protocol  .   4
     5.1.  Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   6.  Design Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   7.  About Intermediaries  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   8.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   9.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   10. Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   11. Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7

1.  Introduction

   The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) provides compatible resource
   level semantics across different versions but it does not offer
   compatibility at the connection management level.  Other protocols,
   such as WebSockets, that rely on connection management details of
   HTTP must be updated for new versions of HTTP.

   The WebSocket Protocol [RFC6455] uses the HTTP/1.1 [RFC7230] Upgrade
   mechanism to transition a TCP connection from HTTP into a WebSocket
   connection.  A different approach must be taken with HTTP/2
   [RFC7540].  The multiplexing nature of HTTP/2 does not allow
   connection wide header and status codes such as the Upgrade and
   Connection request headers or the 101 response code due to its
   multiplexing nature.  These are all required by the [RFC6455] opening
   handshake.

   Being able to bootstrap WebSockets from HTTP/2 allows one TCP
   connection to be shared by both protocols and extends HTTP/2's more
   efficient use of the network to WebSockets.

   This document extends the HTTP/2 CONNECT method.  The extension
   allows the substitution of a new protocol name to connect to rather
   than the external host normally used by CONNECT.  The result is a
   tunnel on a single HTTP/2 stream that can carry data for WebSockets
   (or any other protocol).  The other streams on the connection may
   carry more extended CONNECT tunnels, traditional HTTP/2 data, or a
   mixture of both.

   This tunneled stream will be multiplexed with other regular streams
   on the connection and enjoys the normal priority, cancellation, and
   flow control features of HTTP/2.

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   Streams that successfully establish a WebSocket connection using a
   tunneled stream and the modifications to the opening handshake
   defined in this document then use the traditional WebSocket Protocol