The QUIC protocol provides security comparable to Transport Layer Security (TLS)/Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and reduces connection and transmission delays. You can enable the QUIC protocol to improve resource access efficiency and ensure data transmission security.
What is QUIC
QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) is an experimental transport-layer network protocol. It provides security comparable to TLS/SSL and reduces connection and transmission delays. Because QUIC is based on the UDP protocol, it performs well on weak networks. It can provide a usable service even with severe packet loss and high network latency. QUIC can implement different congestion control algorithms at the application layer without requiring support from the operating system or kernel. This makes QUIC more flexible than the traditional TCP protocol. It is ideal for services that experience bottlenecks with TCP optimization.
ApsaraVideo VOD uses the QUIC protocol as a Layer 7 protocol for accelerated domain names.
QUIC types
Accelerated domain names for ApsaraVideo VOD support IETF QUIC and Google QUIC. The supported versions of Google QUIC are Q39, Q43, and Q46.
IETF QUIC is the Internet standard version.
IETF QUIC is compatible with Google QUIC versions Q39, Q43, and Q46. We strongly recommend that you use IETF QUIC.
Client requirements
The QUIC protocol has the following client requirements:
If you use the Chrome browser, Alibaba Cloud Content Delivery Network (CDN) supports the standard HTTP/3 protocol. This allows Chrome to send QUIC requests directly to Alibaba Cloud CDN.
If you use a self-developed application, the application must integrate a network library that supports the QUIC protocol, such as lsquic-client, Cronet network library, ngtcp2, or quiche.
How it works
QUIC billing rules
The QUIC protocol is a value-added service. You are charged an additional fee based on the number of QUIC requests. For more information about billing details, submit a ticket.
A request is identified as a QUIC request if it is based on the UDP protocol.
A request that has an HTTPS protocol header is billed as a QUIC request if it is sent over QUIC. Otherwise, the request is billed as an HTTPS request.
Limits
The QUIC feature is available only to users on the whitelist. To enable this feature, submit a ticket.
Enable the QUIC protocol
Log on to the ApsaraVideo VOD console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Configuration Management > CDN Configuration > Domain Names.
In the navigation pane on the left, click QUIC Protocol.
On the QUIC Protocol tab, turn on the QUIC Protocol switch.
Verify QUIC connections
This section explains how to verify that QUIC is working by using Chrome Developer Tools.
1. On your webpage, right-click and select Inspect to open Developer Tools.
2. Go to the Network tab.
3. Check the Protocol column. A value of h3 or a similar identifier (e.g., h3-29) indicates that the request used QUIC.
If the Protocol column is not displayed, refresh the page. Then, right-click the header of the request list and select .
As shown in the following figure, h3 indicates a QUIC request.
