# Gopher/Gemini/WWW Comparison Table
February 10, 2023 ยท 2 minute read
Posted in: gemini gopher internet www
This list is necessarily incomplete, partly due to the complexity of
modern HTTP and HTML, but it hits the high points. If you think
there is something critical missing, please contact me by email.
Feature | Gopher | Gemini | WWW |
---|---|---|---|
Can transfer text-based documents | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Can transfer binary media | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Has a hypermedia document format | No [1] | Yes | Yes |
Hypermedia format can inline binary media | No | No [2] | Yes |
Protocol responses include error codes | No | Yes | Yes |
Protocol responses include content type | No | Yes | Yes |
Protocol responses include content length | No | No | Yes |
Supports connection re-use | No | No | Yes |
Requests and responses are extensible with headers | No | No | Yes |
Uses transport-layer encryption | No [3] | Required | Optional |
Uses URLs for links | No [4] | Yes | Yes |
Supports streaming | No | Yes [5] | Yes |