Max-Forwards
The HTTP Max-Forwards
request header is used with the TRACE
method to limit the number of nodes (usually proxies) that the request goes through.
Its value is an integer indicating the maximum amount of nodes it must visit.
At each node, the value is decremented and the TRACE
request is forwarded to the next node until the destination is reached or the received value of Max-Forwards
is zero.
The request is then sent back (excluding sensitive headers where appropriate) as the body of a 200
response.
This allows the client to see what is being received at the other end of the request chain (the Via
header is of particular interest) for testing or diagnostic purposes.
If the Max-Forwards
header is not present in a TRACE
request, a node will assume that there is no maximum number of forwards.
Header type | Request header |
---|---|
Forbidden header name | No |
Syntax
Max-Forwards: <integer>
Examples
Max-Forwards: 0
Max-Forwards: 10
Specifications
Specification |
---|
HTTP Semantics # field.max-forwards |
Browser compatibility
This feature is neither targeted at, nor implemented in, browsers.
See also
TRACE
method405 Method Not Allowed