See this page fetch itself, byte by byte, over TLS (subtls.pages.dev)

Article summary

The article presents a live, annotated HTTPS request for its own source, demonstrating how a page can fetch itself byte by byte over TLS. This is achieved using a pure-JS TLS 1.3 implementation and a WebSocket proxy. The page also provides an option to use HTTP/2 and view raw TCP traffic. The project is open-source and available on GitHub.

Main themes

• TLS and HTTPS
• Computer Speed and Efficiency
• Binary vs Text Formats
• Backwards Compatibility
• Compliance and Security
• Software Development and Performance

What commenters say

• The speed of modern computers is often underappreciated, with some arguing that software is slow despite the rapid advancements in hardware.
• The limitations of CPU clock speed are not a significant concern due to the use of pipelining, multicore architectures, and other design techniques.
• The complexity of binary protocols like TLS is necessary for backwards compatibility and evolution, but can lead to wasted bandwidth and inefficiencies.
• Human readability of text-based formats like HTML is valuable for learning and debugging, even if it comes at the cost of slightly larger file sizes.
• Compression can mitigate the size difference between text and binary formats, but may not address other concerns like memory usage and cache locality.
• The prioritization of compliance over actual security and performance can lead to inefficiencies and frustrations in the development of protocols and software.
• The use of text-based formats has historically facilitated learning and innovation, but may not be the best choice for all applications and use cases.