What is Http Handlers?
An ASP.NET HTTP handler is the process that runs in response to a request that is made to an ASP.NET Web application. The most common handler is an ASP.NET page handler that processes .aspx files. When users request an .aspx file, the request is processed by the page handler.
HTTP handlers are of two types:
- Synchronous HTTP Handlers: These handlers process the HTTP request in a synchronous manner and will return only when processing of the request for which it is called is complete.
- Asynchronous HTTP Handlers: These handlers process the HTTP request in an asynchronous manner. It allows the user to make remote server calls to start an external process. This greatly improves performance as these handlers do not wait for the completion of external processes.