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HTTP/2 Lab - Free Online HTTP/2 vs HTTP/1.1 Simulator | IconVault

Watch HTTP/1.1 with 6 connections race HTTP/2 multiplexing in an animated simulation. Free, educational, runs fully in your browser.

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HTTP/2 Lab

Watch HTTP/1.1 race HTTP/2 in an animated simulation

5 of 5 free uses left
Speed
t = 0.00s

5 of 5 free copies left - everything runs locally in your browser.

HTTP/1.1

0/12 done

6 connections - each downloads its queue in order. Watch hero.jpg block connection 4.

conn 1
index.html
28k
thumb-1.webp
44k
conn 2
styles.css
64k
thumb-2.webp
52k
conn 3
app.js
120k
thumb-3.webp
38k
conn 4BLOCKED by hero.jpg
hero.jpg
420k
icons.svg
26k
conn 5
logo.svg
18k
analytics.js
58k
conn 6
font.woff2
96k
avatar.png
34k

Finish: 2.75s

HTTP/2

0/12 done

1 connection - 12 streams multiplexed, bandwidth shared. No head-of-line blocking.

single connection - 12 streams

index.html
28k
styles.css
64k
app.js
120k
hero.jpg
420k
logo.svg
18k
font.woff2
96k
thumb-1.webp
44k
thumb-2.webp
52k
thumb-3.webp
38k
icons.svg
26k
analytics.js
58k
avatar.png
34k

Finish: 1.05s

Multiplexing: many streams share one TCP connection, interleaved frame by frame.

No HOL blocking: a slow asset only slows its own stream, never the others.

Bonus: header compression (HPACK) and server push cut even more overhead.

Simplified model: fixed 1000 KB/s bandwidth, no TLS handshake cost, no prioritization, no packet loss. Real-world gaps vary, but multiplexing consistently wins on asset-heavy pages.

About this tool

IconVault's HTTP/2 Lab stages a side-by-side race: HTTP/1.1 loading a page with 6 parallel connections and head-of-line blocking versus HTTP/2 loading the same page over one multiplexed connection. Press play and watch each asset (HTML, CSS, JS, images, fonts) stream across the wire frame by frame.

Playback is fully interactive: step through frames, adjust the speed, and see exactly where HTTP/1.1 stalls while HTTP/2 keeps flowing. It is free, needs no signup, and runs entirely in your browser. Honest note: it is a simplified educational simulation, not a live network measurement; real-world gains depend on latency, server support and asset sizes.

Frequently asked questions

Popular searches

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