---
title: About HTTP/Minimal
date: 2025-12-27
lang: en
---

# About HTTP/Minimal

HTTP/Minimal is a response to the modern web's complexity and hostility toward users.

## The Problem

The web today requires:

- Executing arbitrary JavaScript from strangers
- Accepting tracking cookies
- Loading megabytes of frameworks to read a paragraph
- Fighting against dark patterns designed to manipulate you

## The Solution

HTTP/Minimal constrains HTTP to its document-serving roots:

| Feature | Modern Web | HTTP/Minimal |
|---------|-----------|--------------|
| JavaScript | Required | Forbidden |
| Cookies | Everywhere | Forbidden |
| Tracking | Default | Minimized |
| Content | HTML soup | Clean Markdown |
| Page weight | 2-10 MB | ~10 KB |

## Philosophy

> The web was designed as a document system. HTTP/Minimal returns it to that purpose.

We believe:

1. **Documents should be readable** - both by humans and machines
2. **Privacy is the default** - not something you opt into
3. **Simplicity scales** - complex systems fail in complex ways
4. **Constraints are features** - what you *can't* do matters

## Get Involved

This is an open specification. Fork it, improve it, adopt it.

The spec is released under [CC0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) - no rights reserved.