What is the difference between socket and http internet connection?

A socket connection is a low-level communication endpoint that allows two devices to exchange data directly over a network, using either TCP or UDP protocols. In contrast, HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is a high-level application protocol built on top of TCP, specifically designed for transferring web pages and data over the internet. While sockets provide raw data transmission capabilities, HTTP offers structured data communication with features like request/response formats and status codes, making it more suitable for web applications. Essentially, sockets are the underlying mechanism, while HTTP is a specific use case built upon that mechanism.