How to Read HTTP Headers

Every website sends hidden information with every page load. HTTP headers control security, caching, redirects, and more — here's how to read them and what to look for What Are HTTP Headers? When you visit a website, your browser sends a request to the server, and the server sends back a response. Both the request and the response include headers — metadata that tells each side how to handle the communication. Think of it like sending a package. The package itself is the web page content (HTML, images, CSS). The headers are the shipping label — they don't contain the content, but they tell the carrier where it's going, how to handle it, and what's inside. The Headers That Matter Most There are dozens of possible HTTP headers, but most of the time you only need to care about a handful. Here are the ones you'll see most often. content-type server cache-control location set-cookie content-encoding x-powered-by Security Headers You Should Check Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS) X-Frame-Opti