What protocol sets the rules for transferring multimedia files over the World Wide Web?

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the foundational protocol used for transferring multimedia files across the World Wide Web. It provides the standards for how messages are formatted and transmitted, as well as how web servers and browsers should respond to various commands. When a user accesses a webpage or requests a multimedia file, the web browser uses HTTP to request the data from a server, which sends the appropriate response back to the browser.

HTTP supports the transfer of various types of content, including text, images, audio, and video, making it essential for engaging multimedia experiences on websites. Its role is crucial in establishing communications on the web, enabling users to seamlessly access and interact with different digital media.

In comparison, other protocols such as FTP, used primarily for transferring files between computers, focus on different aspects of data transfer, whereas SMTP deals with sending email messages. HTTPS is essentially HTTP with added security features, which is critical for safe transactions but still fundamentally provides the same capabilities as HTTP for basic content transfer.