Does the HTTP protocol actually use binary data transmission?

The HTTP protocol is originally based on a text data transfer format, meaning requests and responses are transmitted as readable ASCII characters. Headers and message bodies are usually represented in text form, which facilitates reading and debugging.

However, the message body (payload) can contain any data, including binary data, for example, when transmitting images, videos, or other files. In such cases, the data is encoded in binary format, but the HTTP protocol itself is not a binary protocol; it is a text-based protocol with the capability to transmit binary data in the body.