Technologies

HTTPUpgrade as a Replacement for Standard WebSocket

Vitaliy Podolskiy

Jul 29, 2024 • 2 min read

Xray-core is developing by leaps and bounds, largely due to increasing internet censorship in various countries.

In addition to SplitHTTP, the HTTPUpgrade technology in xray-core is also quite interesting. Let’s take a closer look at it.

HTTPUpgrade in Xray is a transport protocol reminiscent of WebSocket, which uses HTTP/1.1 upgrade. It can act as a reverse proxy server or CDN, without requiring the implementation of other parts of WebSocket, ensuring better performance. Using it without additional security protocols such as TLS is not recommended.

Key Configuration Parameters of HttpUpgradeObject

acceptProxyProtocol: Indicates whether to accept the PROXY protocol.
path: The HTTP path used by the HTTPUpgrade connection.
host: The HTTP host sent by the HTTPUpgrade connection.
headers: Customized HTTP headers.

Advantages of Using HTTPUpgrade in Xray

Bypassing Internet Censorship: Masking VPN traffic as HTTP requests allows bypassing blocks and DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) systems.
Improved Performance: HTTPUpgrade provides high performance by using the HTTP/1.1 upgrade mechanism, which minimizes latency and increases data transfer speed.
Compatibility: The ability to work as a reverse proxy or CDN increases flexibility and compatibility with various network infrastructures.
Customizability: The ability to configure paths, hosts, and HTTP headers allows the connection to be adapted to specific requirements and usage scenarios.

Conclusion

Using the new HTTPUpgrade in xray-core can significantly enhance the performance of your VPN application without losing the main security criteria for VPN connections.

We will soon try out new technologies in our VPN applications!