How do I check a website's HTTP headers?
To retrieve HTTP headers for any website, enter the full URL into the field above and click 'Get Headers'. The tool will send a request to the server and return the response headers in a readable format. Results typically appear within a few seconds.
What are HTTP headers?
HTTP headers are metadata exchanged between clients and servers at the start of an HTTP request or response. They define the rules, context and instructions for the transaction. Common examples include:
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Content-Type: tells the browser how to interpret the content -
Cache-Control: defines how long the content should be cached -
Location: indicates a redirect target -
Set-Cookie: issues session or preference cookies -
X-Frame-Options,Content-Security-Policy: enforce security settings
Headers are essential for how web pages are served, cached, redirected, secured and interpreted.
How does this tool work?
This tool uses PHP's built-in cURL library to send a HEAD request to the target URL and extract the HTTP response headers. It connects directly to the server, retrieves only the headers (without downloading the full page content), and displays them for inspection.
How can HTTP headers help with SEO?
Headers reveal if a page is using proper redirection (301 vs 302), whether caching is optimised and if security headers are present – all of which impact crawlability, speed and trust.
Can I use this to troubleshoot website issues?
Yes. Headers can expose misconfigured redirects, incorrect MIME types, missing security directives or CDN caching problems. Useful for identifying why a page isn't loading or behaving as expected.
Will this show if a site is secure?
It helps. You can see if HTTPS is enforced via headers like Strict-Transport-Security, or if content is protected with Content-Security-Policy and X-Content-Type-Options.
Does this tell me if a page is cached?
Yes. Look for headers like Cache-Control, Expires and ETag to understand if and how long the browser or a CDN is caching the page.
Can I see what server or tech stack a site uses?
Possibly. Some sites include a Server or X-Powered-By header that discloses the backend (e.g. nginx, Apache, PHP). Others strip this info for security reasons.
Is this useful for redirect tracing?
Yes. If a URL redirects, the tool will show the Location header and status code, helping you confirm redirect paths and types (301, 302, etc).