🌐 IT & Network Tools

HTTP Header Checker

Inspect all HTTP response headers for any URL. Audit security headers, trace redirect chains, detect CDN and server technology, and check HTTP status codes.

Checking headers for …
Final URL
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Headers
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Redirects
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Raw JSON Response

        
Redirect Chain
    Security Header Audit
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    Security Grade
    All Response Headers
    Header Name Value Category

    How to Use the HTTP Header Checker

    1
    Enter the URL
    Type or paste any URL into the input field. You can enter a full URL (https://example.com) or just a domain name. The tool adds HTTPS if no protocol is specified.
    2
    Click Check Headers
    Press the Check Headers button or hit Enter. The check is sent from the server, and the page shows the response headers along with a security audit.
    3
    Review the security audit
    The security audit grades the site from A+ to F based on 8 critical security headers. Each header shows a pass or fail badge along with a plain-English explanation of what it protects against.
    4
    Inspect all headers
    All response headers are displayed and color-coded by category: Security, Caching, Content, Server, CDN, and Other. Click Copy Results to copy everything, or use the Raw JSON toggle for the full response. The redirect chain, when there is one, is listed above the headers.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What are HTTP response headers?

    HTTP response headers are metadata sent by a web server alongside the requested content. They tell the browser how to handle the response — including caching rules, content type, security policies, compression settings, and redirect instructions. Headers are invisible to regular visitors but are essential for developers, security analysts, and system administrators diagnosing server behavior.

    What is a security header audit?

    A security header audit checks whether a website sends the HTTP headers that instruct browsers to activate built-in security protections. The eight critical security headers are: Strict-Transport-Security (forces HTTPS), Content-Security-Policy (prevents XSS), X-Frame-Options (prevents clickjacking), X-Content-Type-Options (prevents MIME sniffing), Referrer-Policy (controls data leakage), Permissions-Policy (restricts browser features), X-XSS-Protection (legacy XSS filter), and Access-Control-Allow-Origin (CORS). Missing headers leave users exposed to preventable attacks.

    What does the security grade mean?

    The security grade summarizes how many of the 8 critical security headers are present. A+ means all 8 are present. A means 7 of 8. B means 6 of 8. C means 5 of 8. D means 3 or 4 of 8. F means 2 or fewer. The grade reflects the breadth of browser-enforced security protections, not the overall security of the server itself.

    What is a redirect chain and why does it matter?

    A redirect chain occurs when a URL redirects to another URL, which in turn redirects again. Each hop adds latency and long chains significantly slow down page load times. They also dilute SEO link equity. Our tool shows every hop — the URL, status code, and headers returned at each step — so you can diagnose and eliminate unnecessary redirects.

    What does server version leaking mean?

    Many web servers include a Server header that reveals the exact software and version — for example, "nginx/1.25.3" or "Apache/2.4.49 (Ubuntu) PHP/8.2.10". This helps attackers identify known CVEs for your exact version. Our tool flags these disclosures and recommends suppressing them. On Nginx, set server_tokens off in nginx.conf. On Apache, set ServerTokens Prod and ServerSignature Off.

    What CDNs can this tool detect?

    The HTTP Header Checker automatically detects Cloudflare (via cf-ray and cf-cache-status headers), AWS CloudFront (via x-amz-cf-id and x-amz-cf-pop), Fastly (via x-served-by), Akamai (via x-akamai-transformed), and Varnish (via x-varnish). CDN detection is based on proprietary headers that each CDN injects into responses — if no CDN-specific headers are present, the tool reports no CDN detected.

    What does HTTP/2 mean and why does it matter?

    HTTP/2 is the second major version of the HTTP protocol. Compared to HTTP/1.1, it supports multiplexing (multiple requests over a single connection), header compression, and server push — all of which reduce page load times. Our tool reports the protocol version negotiated for the final response. If your server is still serving HTTP/1.1, upgrading to HTTP/2 is a straightforward performance improvement available on all major web servers.

    Disclaimer: QuickITTools.com and EnterPlanet LLC strive to make our tools as accurate as possible. HTTP header data is retrieved in real time from the target server and reflects the server's response at the moment of the query. Results depend on the server's configuration and may vary between requests. Always verify critical security configuration independently.