Requests
Anatomy of a request
Read the request line, headers, blank line, and optional body that make up a complete HTTP request message.
7 minute lesson
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An HTTP/1.1 request can be shown as plain text:
POST /notes HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
Content-Type: application/json
Content-Length: 24
{"title":"Learn HTTP"}The first line contains the method, request target, and protocol version.
Headers follow as name-value pairs. They add context about the host, accepted formats, authentication, caching, and the body.
An empty line marks the end of the headers. A body may follow. POST, PUT, and PATCH often carry one. GET normally does not.
HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 encode messages differently on the wire, but the same concepts remain: method, target, headers, and an optional body.
Lesson completed