imgix, the leading provider of on-demand image processing for websites and mobile apps, today announced support of the latest version of the HTTP protocol, HTTP/2. This new protocol may deliver a significant speed boost for media-heavy pages by enabling developers to combine multiple concurrent image requests through a single server connection.

“Many of our clients, from major media companies to e-commerce leaders, use us to serve multimedia-rich pages with multiple images,” said Jeremy Larkin, imgix Co-founder and CTO. “They need the fastest, most stable and secure way to serve images. The support of this new standard is another way that we’re ensuring our clients and their end users have the best experience on any device.”

HTTP/2 is a successor to the earlier HTTP/1.1 standard, which is used to serve websites and data to mobile apps. HTTP/2 allows for request multiplexing, a more modern way of transmitting complicated requests to a server. Prior to the change, each individual piece of media on a page would have to be fetched in sequential requests, which must be executed by the server in a first come, first serve manner. Multiplexing allows these requests to be overlapped using a single connection, and the server may respond without waiting for earlier requests to complete. Since each individual request introduces the opportunity for lag, this more modern approach often results in much faster load times.

HTTP/2 support has been automatically enabled for all imgix customer accounts and will be the default connection method over secure (HTTPS) connections. There is no additional cost or setup necessary to use HTTP/2.

About imgix

imgix is the leader in on-demand image processing for websites and mobile apps, delivering faster load-page time and clearer images, while ensuring audiences experience visuals in the most meaningful way possible. imgix allows developers ease-of-use and flexibility when designing web pages and mobile apps. From image crops to compression to overall image enhancement, imgix enables companies to increase customer engagement and enhance the overall viewing experience of visuals across devices.

imgix is venture backed, with about $10 million in investment, and was launched through the famed Y Combinator accelerator program. Its customers include: Dropbox, Reddit, Lyft, Kickstarter, Coursera, Bonobos, The Guardian, Brit + Co., Bustle, and many others.