Clear-Site-Data
Secure context: This feature is available only in secure contexts (HTTPS), in some or all supporting browsers.
The Clear-Site-Data
header clears browsing data (cookies, storage, cache) associated with the requesting website. It allows web developers to have more control over the data stored by a client browser for their origins.
Header type | Response header |
---|---|
Forbidden header name | no |
Syntax
The Clear-Site-Data
header accepts one or more directives. If all types of data should be cleared, the wildcard directive ("*"
) can be used.
// Single directive Clear-Site-Data: "cache" // Multiple directives (comma separated) Clear-Site-Data: "cache", "cookies" // Wild card Clear-Site-Data: "*"
Directives
Note: All directives must comply with the quoted-string grammar. A directive that does not include the double quotes is invalid.
"cache"
-
Indicates that the server wishes to remove locally cached data (the browser cache, see HTTP caching) for the origin of the response URL. Depending on the browser, this might also clear out things like pre-rendered pages, script caches, WebGL shader caches, or address bar suggestions.
-
Indicates that the server wishes to remove all cookies for the origin of the response URL. HTTP authentication credentials are also cleared out. This affects the entire registered domain, including subdomains. So https://example.com as well as https://stage.example.com, will have cookies cleared.
"storage"
-
Indicates that the server wishes to remove all DOM storage for the origin of the response URL. This includes storage mechanisms such as:
- localStorage (executes
localStorage.clear
), - sessionStorage (executes
sessionStorage.clear
), - IndexedDB (for each database execute
IDBFactory.deleteDatabase
), - Service worker registrations (for each service worker registration, execute
ServiceWorkerRegistration.unregister
), - WebSQL databases,
- FileSystem API data,
- Plugin data (Flash via
NPP_ClearSiteData
).
- localStorage (executes
"executionContexts"
-
Indicates that the server wishes to reload all browsing contexts for the origin of the response (
Location.reload
). "*"
(wildcard)-
Indicates that the server wishes to clear all types of data for the origin of the response. If more data types are added in future versions of this header, they will also be covered by it.
Examples
Sign out of a web site
If a user signs out of your website or service, you might want to remove locally stored data. To do this, add the Clear-Site-Data
header to the page that confirms the logging out from the site has been accomplished successfully (https://example.com/logout, for example):
Clear-Site-Data: "cache", "cookies", "storage", "executionContexts"
Clearing cookies
If this header is delivered with the response at https://example.com/clear-cookies, all cookies on the same domain https://example.com and any subdomains (like https://stage.example.com, etc), will be cleared out.
Clear-Site-Data: "cookies"
Specifications
Specification |
---|
Clear Site Data # header |
Browser compatibility
BCD tables only load in the browser