Which of the following best describes HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)?

HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is best described as a set of rules for transferring hypertext. It serves as the foundation of data communication on the World Wide Web. When a user enters a URL into a web browser, HTTP specifies the requests made by the client (the browser) to the server where the website is hosted. This encompasses sending requests for specific web pages and retrieving the associated resources, which may include text, images, and other multimedia content.

HTTP's primary function is to facilitate the request and response cycle between the web client and server, ensuring that data is structured in a way that allows for seamless navigation and interaction with hyperlinked content. This is critical for creating a user-friendly web experience, as it enables the connectivity between different resources on the internet.

Other options, while related to web technologies, do not accurately capture the essence of what HTTP is and its primary purpose in web communication.