HTTP Header Checker

Inspect HTTP headers of a given URL request/response to debug caching, security, and SEO issues. Analyze response headers for performance optimization and security best practices.

Note: Due to browser CORS restrictions, this tool may show simulated headers for some domains. For accurate results, use browser developer tools (F12 → Network tab) or server-side tools like curl.

HTTP Header Best Practices

🔒 Security Headers

Strict-Transport-Security: Enforces HTTPS connections
Content-Security-Policy: Prevents XSS attacks
X-Frame-Options: Prevents clickjacking
X-Content-Type-Options: Prevents MIME sniffing
Referrer-Policy: Controls referrer information

⚡ Performance Headers

Cache-Control: Controls caching behavior
ETag: Enables conditional requests
Content-Encoding: Enables compression
Keep-Alive: Reuses connections
Server-Timing: Provides performance metrics

🎯 SEO Headers

Content-Type: Specifies media type and charset
X-Robots-Tag: Controls search engine indexing
Link (canonical): Prevents duplicate content
Status Codes: 2xx for success, avoid 4xx/5xx

💾 Caching Headers

max-age: Sets cache expiration time
no-cache: Forces revalidation
no-store: Prevents caching
must-revalidate: Forces fresh validation

Sample URLs to Test

How to Check Real Headers

🌐 Browser DevTools

  1. Press F12 to open DevTools
  2. Go to Network tab
  3. Visit the website
  4. Click on the first request
  5. Check Response Headers

💻 Command Line (curl)

curl -I https://example.com
Shows all response headers including security and caching directives.

🔧 Online Tools

  • • HTTPie Online
  • • Postman
  • • Security Headers
  • • GTmetrix
  • • WebPageTest

Common Header Issues

❌ Common Problems

  • • Missing security headers (HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options)
  • • No cache control headers
  • • Incorrect Content-Type or missing charset
  • • Exposing server information
  • • Missing compression headers
  • • Improper CORS configuration
  • • Weak referrer policies
  • • Missing viewport meta for mobile

✅ Quick Fixes

  • • Add security headers via server config
  • • Implement proper cache-control directives
  • • Enable gzip/brotli compression
  • • Set appropriate max-age values
  • • Use ETag for conditional requests
  • • Configure proper CORS headers
  • • Remove server version headers
  • • Test headers regularly

About HTTP Header Checker

An advanced HTTP header analysis tool that inspects and analyzes HTTP request and response headers from any URL. This tool helps debug caching issues, security configurations, SEO problems, and performance optimizations by providing detailed insights into server responses and client-server communications.

Why use a HTTP Header Checker?

HTTP headers control crucial aspects of web performance, security, and functionality, but they are often invisible and complex to analyze manually. This tool reveals hidden header information that affects caching, security policies, SEO rankings, and user experience, making it essential for web optimization and troubleshooting.

Who is it for?

Critical for web developers debugging server configurations, SEO specialists analyzing website headers, security professionals auditing HTTP security headers, and performance engineers optimizing caching strategies. Perfect for anyone who needs to understand and optimize HTTP communications.

How to use the tool

  1. Enter the URL you want to analyze in the input field
  2. Click check to retrieve and display the HTTP headers
  3. Review response headers for caching, security, and performance settings
  4. Analyze security headers like CSP, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options
  5. Use the information to optimize server configuration and fix issues

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