SPDY is a hypertext protocol developed by Google as an alternative/compliment to HTTP. It improves the performance of modern websites by adding a few features such as multiplexed requests, prioritized requests and compressed headers. You can read our previous coverage for more information.
How can you take advantage of SPDY on your own site? So far, only Google Chrome (versions 6.0 and up) support SPDY, so you’ll need to support two protocols: SPDY for Chrrome, and HTTP for everything else. You’ll also need to automatically switch between the two protocols depending on the browser your visitors are using.
Strangeloop Site Optimizer now does just that.
Strangeloop acts a reverse proxy, enabling site owners to setup SPDY without making any changes to their servers.
Strangeloop president Joshua Bixby says he thinks SPDY will make the biggest difference once mobile browsers begin taking advantage of it. Last week we took a look at Bixby’s research on response times on mobile browsers compared to desktop browsers. He says the move to SPDY will dramatically accelerate mobile browser performance. He also points out that SPDY improves the performance of SSL sessions.
Strangeloop Networks was founded in Vancouver, BC in 2006 and received series A funding from a private investment group in 2007. It competes with companies like Aptimize, Limelight Networks and Torbit.
