Free Tool

Free HTTP Header Checker

Analyze HTTP response headers for any URL. Check security headers, caching, redirects, and server configuration—instantly.

Enter a full URL including https://

Free Tool · Instant results · No signup required

What This Tool Analyzes

Response Status

HTTP status code (200, 301, 404, 500, etc.) and response time.

Redirect Chain

Full redirect path from initial URL to final destination.

Security Headers

HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, and more.

Caching Headers

Cache-Control, ETag, Last-Modified, Expires, Vary.

Server Info

Server software, powered-by headers, CDN detection.

Content Info

Content-Type, encoding, compression, content length.

Security Headers Explained

Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS)

Forces browsers to only connect via HTTPS. Prevents downgrade attacks and cookie hijacking. Essential for any site handling sensitive data.

Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains

Content-Security-Policy (CSP)

Controls which resources the browser can load. Powerful protection against XSS attacks. Can be complex to configure but highly effective.

Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'

X-Frame-Options

Prevents your site from being embedded in iframes. Protects against clickjacking attacks.

X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN

X-Content-Type-Options

Prevents browsers from MIME-sniffing. Ensures content is treated as declared.

X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff

Referrer-Policy

Controls how much referrer information is sent with requests. Protects user privacy and prevents leaking sensitive URLs.

Referrer-Policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin

Permissions-Policy

Controls which browser features your site can use (camera, microphone, geolocation, etc.). Limits attack surface.

Permissions-Policy: geolocation=(), camera=()

Want to understand more about web security? Read our complete guide to uptime monitoring.

When to Use This Header Checker

Security audit

Verify your site has proper security headers configured

SEO debugging

Check for redirect chains, canonical issues, and caching problems

Performance optimization

Analyze caching headers and compression settings

Troubleshooting

Debug unexpected redirects or response codes

Competitor analysis

See what headers and CDN competitors use

Deployment verification

Confirm headers are correctly set after deployment

HTTP Status Codes Reference

2xx Success

  • 200 — OK, request successful
  • 201 — Created, resource created
  • 204 — No Content, success but no body

3xx Redirection

  • 301 — Moved Permanently (SEO: passes link equity)
  • 302 — Found (temporary redirect)
  • 304 — Not Modified (cached version is valid)
  • 307 — Temporary Redirect (preserves method)
  • 308 — Permanent Redirect (preserves method)

4xx Client Errors

  • 400 — Bad Request
  • 401 — Unauthorized (needs auth)
  • 403 — Forbidden (auth won't help)
  • 404 — Not Found
  • 429 — Too Many Requests (rate limited)

5xx Server Errors

  • 500 — Internal Server Error
  • 502 — Bad Gateway
  • 503 — Service Unavailable
  • 504 — Gateway Timeout

Frequently Asked Questions

What are HTTP headers?

HTTP headers are metadata sent between browsers and servers with every request and response. They contain information about caching, security, content type, authentication, and more. Headers control how browsers handle your content.

Why are security headers important?

Security headers protect your site and users from common attacks like XSS, clickjacking, and man-in-the-middle attacks. They're an essential layer of defense that doesn't require code changes—just server configuration.

How do I add security headers to my site?

It depends on your setup. For Apache, use .htaccess. For Nginx, add to your server config. For Cloudflare, use Transform Rules. For Vercel/Netlify, use their headers configuration. Most hosting platforms have documentation for adding custom headers.

What's the difference between 301 and 302 redirects?

301 is permanent—it tells search engines the page has moved forever and to transfer SEO value to the new URL. 302 is temporary—the original URL should keep its SEO value. Use 301 for permanent moves, 302 for temporary situations like A/B tests or maintenance.

Why is my redirect chain bad for SEO?

Each redirect adds latency and can dilute link equity. Long chains (3+ redirects) slow down page loads and may cause search engines to stop following. Aim for one redirect maximum between any two URLs.

Is this header checker free?

Yes, completely free. Check unlimited URLs without signing up. For continuous monitoring with alerts when your site goes down or response codes change, you can upgrade to PerkyDash.

Monitor Your Site 24/7

This tool shows headers right now. PerkyDash monitors continuously and alerts you when something breaks.

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