Abstract

Many documents have been written on how to transport XMPP datagrams using HTTP. The motivation behind such solutions has often been to be able to use XMPP in scripting languages such as Java Script running in web browsers. But up to this point very little has been written about the reverse: How to transport HTTP methods and HTTP responses over an XMPP-based peer-to-peer network. Here, the motivation is as follows: There are multitudes of applications and APIs written that are based on HTTP over TCP as the basic communication transport protocol. As these are moving closer and closer to the users, problems arise when the users want to protect their data and services using firewalls. Even though there are methods today to open up firewalls manually or automatically permit communication with such devices and applications, you still open up the application for everybody. This rises the need for more advanced security measures which is sometimes difficult to implement using HTTP. The XMPP protocol however does not have the same problems as HTTP in these regards. It's a peer-to-peer protocol naturally allowing communication with applications and devices behind firewalls. It also includes advanced user authentication and authorization which makes it easier to make sure unauthorized access to private content is prevented. Furthermore, with the advent of semantic web technologies and its use in web 3.0 and Internet of Things applications, such applications move even more rapidly into the private spheres of the users, where security and privacy is of paramount importance, it is necessary to use more secure transport protocols than HTTP over TCP.