By Debmedia Technologies LLP · Kolkata, India · Updated
What Does It Mean to Get HTTP Headers?
To get HTTP headers means to read the hidden lines of information that a web server sends along with a page. Each response begins with headers: the status, the type of content, caching rules, cookies and security settings. Your browser reads them in the background, and visitors never see them.
Developers and site owners read headers to debug caching, find security gaps, confirm compression and see which server software answers. This tool lets you get HTTP headers from any public address and reviews them for you.
How to Use This Tool
- Enter an address such as example.com.
- Choose whether to follow redirects to the final page or show only the first response.
- Press Get headers.
- Read the full header list, then the security and performance review below it.
Important Headers Explained
| Header | What it does |
|---|---|
| Content-Type | Tells the browser what kind of file it received, such as text/html. |
| Cache-Control | Sets how long browsers and caches may keep a copy. |
| Content-Encoding | Shows compression such as gzip or br, which makes pages smaller. |
| Strict-Transport-Security | Forces browsers to use HTTPS for the site. |
| Content-Security-Policy | Controls where scripts, styles and images may load from. |
| X-Content-Type-Options | With the value nosniff, stops browsers from guessing file types. |
| Set-Cookie | Stores a cookie. Flags such as Secure and HttpOnly protect it. |
A full list with explanations is in the MDN guide to HTTP headers.
What the Review Checks
- Security headers. The tool lists which of the six main protections are present and which are missing.
- Information leaks. A Server header with a version number, or an X-Powered-By header, shows attackers which software you run.
- Cookie flags. Each cookie is checked for Secure, HttpOnly and SameSite.
- Compression and caching. You see whether the response is compressed and how it may be cached.
Tips for Fixing Common Findings
Missing security headers
Add them in your web server configuration or through a security plugin. Start with X-Content-Type-Options and Referrer-Policy, because they rarely break anything. Add Content-Security-Policy last, and test it carefully.
No compression
Enable gzip or Brotli on the server. It usually cuts the size of text files by more than two thirds. You can measure the effect with the page weight tool.
Redirects in the way
If headers differ from what you expect, a redirect may be involved. Trace it with the redirect tracing tool, or test many addresses at once with the bulk status checker.
Why Check Headers Regularly?
Headers change when you update your server, add a plugin or switch hosts. A quick run to get HTTP headers after each change shows whether security settings, caching and compression are still in place. Many sites lose protection quietly after a migration, and only a look at the real response reveals it. Make it part of your launch checklist, and keep the output from a good day to compare against later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Disclaimer: results come from live requests and can change as records and servers change. We cannot guarantee that every answer matches what every visitor sees.