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HTTP Header
TE
RequestSpecifies the transfer encodings the client is willing to accept in the response.
HTTP header reference, syntax, examples, and developer usage.
What is the TE header?
The TE HTTP header is used to transmit metadata between a client and server as part of HTTP requests or responses.
HTTP headers define how content should be interpreted, cached, authenticated, secured, or processed by browsers and APIs.
Direction
This is a request header sent by the client to the server.
Syntax
TE: trailers | <q-value>
Example
TE: trailers
Common use cases
- Signaling support for chunked transfer with trailers
- Used internally by HTTP clients and proxies
Common mistakes
- Using the header in the wrong request or response context
- Sending invalid header values
- Incorrect header syntax
- Assuming the header automatically changes server behaviour
Practical developer insight
In modern web applications, TE is rarely used directly. The only value you are likely to encounter in practice is trailers, especially when working with chunked transfer semantics. Do not confuse it with Accept-Encoding, which negotiates content compression rather than transfer encoding.