Please Whitelist This Site?

I know everyone hates ads. But please understand that I am providing premium content for free that takes hundreds of hours of time to research and write. I don't want to go to a pay-only model like some sites, but when more and more people block ads, I end up working for free. And I have a family to support, just like you. :)

If you like The TCP/IP Guide, please consider the download version. It's priced very economically and you can read all of it in a convenient format without ads.

If you want to use this site for free, I'd be grateful if you could add the site to the whitelist for Adblock. To do so, just open the Adblock menu and select "Disable on tcpipguide.com". Or go to the Tools menu and select "Adblock Plus Preferences...". Then click "Add Filter..." at the bottom, and add this string: "@@||tcpipguide.com^$document". Then just click OK.

Thanks for your understanding!

Sincerely, Charles Kozierok
Author and Publisher, The TCP/IP Guide


NOTE: Using software to mass-download the site degrades the server and is prohibited.
If you want to read The TCP/IP Guide offline, please consider licensing it. Thank you.

The Book is Here... and Now On Sale!

Enjoy The TCP/IP Guide? Get the complete PDF!
The TCP/IP Guide

Custom Search







Table Of Contents  The TCP/IP Guide
 9  TCP/IP Application Layer Protocols, Services and Applications (OSI Layers 5, 6 and 7)
      9  TCP/IP Key Applications and Application Protocols
           9  TCP/IP File and Message Transfer Applications and Protocols (FTP, TFTP, Electronic Mail, USENET, HTTP/WWW, Gopher)
                9  TCP/IP World Wide Web (WWW, "The Web") and the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
                     9  TCP/IP Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

Previous Topic/Section
HTTP Persistent Connection Establishment, Management and Termination
Previous Page
Pages in Current Topic/Section
1
Next Page
HTTP Generic Message Format
Next Topic/Section

HTTP Messages, Message Formats, Methods and Status Codes

As we saw in the operational overview of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol, HTTP is entirely oriented around the sending of client requests and server responses. These take the form of HTTP messages sent between clients and servers. As with all protocols, HTTP uses a special format that dictates the structure of both client request messages and server response messages; understanding how these messages work is a big part of comprehending HTTP as a whole.

In this section I describe the messages used by HTTP and the specific commands and responses issued by clients and servers. I begin with a look at the generic HTTP message format and the major components of every HTTP message. I then discuss the specific formats used for both requests and responses. I explain the different types of HTTP methods (commands) used in client requests, and the HTTP status codes used in server replies.

Note: Much of the functionality of HTTP is implemented using header fields that appear at the start of each HTTP request and response. Due the number of headers and their potential complexity, they are covered in detail in their own section.


Quick navigation to subsections and regular topics in this section



Previous Topic/Section
HTTP Persistent Connection Establishment, Management and Termination
Previous Page
Pages in Current Topic/Section
1
Next Page
HTTP Generic Message Format
Next Topic/Section

If you find The TCP/IP Guide useful, please consider making a small Paypal donation to help the site, using one of the buttons below. You can also donate a custom amount using the far right button (not less than $1 please, or PayPal gets most/all of your money!) In lieu of a larger donation, you may wish to consider purchasing a download license of The TCP/IP Guide. Thanks for your support!
Donate $2
Donate $5
Donate $10
Donate $20
Donate $30
Donate: $



Home - Table Of Contents - Contact Us

The TCP/IP Guide (http://www.TCPIPGuide.com)
Version 3.0 - Version Date: September 20, 2005

© Copyright 2001-2005 Charles M. Kozierok. All Rights Reserved.
Not responsible for any loss resulting from the use of this site.