This article is a written version of the talk “HTTP headers for the responsible developer”. You can check the slides or the recording.

Being online is the default state for many people these days. We all spend our time shopping, chatting, reading articles, and looking for information like directions. The web connects us with the whole world, but most certainly the web connects people. I myself have been using the web now for 20 years, and my relationship to it changed eight years ago when I became a web developer.

Developers connect people.

Developers help people.

Developers enable people.

Developers have the power to build the web for everyone, but that power needs to be used responsibly. What matters, in the end, is building things that help and enable people.

In this article, I want to share how HTTP headers can help you build better products for a better web for everyone.

HTTP – HyperText Transfer Protocol

Let’s talk about HTTP first. HTTP is the protocol used by computers to request and send data over the web.

When a browser requests a resource from a server it uses HTTP. This request includes a set of key-value pairs giving information like the version of the browser or what file formats it understands. These key-value pairs are called request headers.

The server answers with the requested resource but also sends response headers giving information on the resource or the server itself.