🌐 Understanding HTTP Requests: Request Line, Methods, Headers & Body

When you visit a website, log in, or submit a form, your browser sends something called an HTTP request to the server. If you're learning about web development or cybersecurity, understanding this is super important!

Let’s break it down into four main parts:

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📌 1. Request Line (Start Line)

The request line is the first part of the HTTP request. It tells the server:

• What to do (method)

• Where to do it (path)

• How to communicate (HTTP version)

✨ Example:

pgsqlCopyEditGET /login HTTP/1.1

🔹 It includes:

• Method – Example: GET, POST, etc.

• Path – The URL path. Example: /login

• Version – Like HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, etc.

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🔧 2. HTTP Methods

Each method tells the server what kind of action the user wants to perform.

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📥 3. Request Headers

Request headers give extra details about the request. These help the server understand how to handle it.

🔹 Common Headers:

📌 Fill in the blanks?
_______ _______ = Request Headers ✅

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🧾 4. Request Body

The request body carries data when the client is sending something to the server — usually with POST or PUT methods.

🧠 Formats used in the body:

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🔸 a) URL Encoded (application/x-www-form-urlencoded)

• Key-value pairs like: key1=value1&key2=value2

• Common in login forms

httpCopyEditPOST /profile HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

name=Aleksandra&age=27&country=US

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🔸 b) Form Data (multipart/form-data)

• Used for uploading files or images

• Data is split using a boundary

httpCopyEditPOST /upload HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=----boundary123

----boundary123
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="username"

aleksandra
----boundary123
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="profile_pic"; filename="aleksandra.jpg"
Content-Type: image/jpeg

[Binary image data here]
----boundary123--

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🔸 c) JSON (application/json)

• Common in APIs

• Uses key-value pairs with curly braces

hCopyEditPOST /api/user HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Aleksandra",
  "age": 27,
  "country": "US"
}

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🔸 d) XML (application/xml)

• Uses opening and closing tags

• Example of nested data

httpCopyEditPOST /api/user HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: application/xml

<user>
  <name>Aleksandra</name>
  <age>27</age>
  <country>US</country>
</user>

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✅ Quick Recap

• Default content type for forms? → application/x-www-form-urlencoded

• Where is Host, User-Agent, Content-Type found? → Request Headers

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Got questions or want to learn more about HTTP responses next? Drop a comment below! 💬✨