Via

The Via general header is added by proxies, both forward and reverse, and can appear in the request or response headers. It is used for tracking message forwards, avoiding request loops, and identifying the protocol capabilities of senders along the request/response chain.

Header type Request header, Response header
Forbidden header name yes

Syntax

Via: [ <protocol-name> "/" ] <protocol-version> <host> [ ":" <port> ]
Via: [ <protocol-name> "/" ] <protocol-version> <pseudonym>

Directives

<protocol-name>

Optional. The name of the protocol used, such as "HTTP".

<protocol-version>

The version of the protocol used, such as "1.1".

<host> and <port>

Public proxy URL and port.

<pseudonym>

Name/alias of an internal proxy.

Examples

Via: 1.1 vegur
Via: HTTP/1.1 GWA
Via: 1.0 fred, 1.1 p.example.net

Specifications

Specification
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP/1.1): Message Syntax and Routing
# header.via

Browser compatibility

BCD tables only load in the browser

See also