RFC7231

RFC 7231, published in June 2014, is a foundational document in the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) series of specifications. It defines the semantics and content of HTTP/1.1, the most widely used version of HTTP. The document is authored by Roy T. Fielding, who also contributed to the development of the REST architectural style.

RFC 7231 outlines the core methods and status codes used in HTTP communication. It specifies eight primary methods: GET, HEAD, POST, PUT, DELETE, CONNECT, OPTIONS, and TRACE. Each method serves a distinct purpose in client-server interactions, such as retrieving resources (GET), submitting data (POST), or deleting resources (DELETE).

The document also defines a comprehensive set of status codes, ranging from informational (1xx) to server errors (5xx). These codes provide feedback on the outcome of a client's request, enabling clients to understand the result of their actions and take appropriate measures.

RFC 7231 also addresses headers, which are used to pass additional information between the client and server. Headers can convey metadata about the request or response, such as content type, caching directives, and authentication information.

The document emphasizes the importance of HTTP as a stateless protocol, where each request from a client to a server must contain all the information the server needs to fulfill that request. This design principle ensures scalability and simplicity in HTTP communications.

RFC 7231 serves as a critical reference for developers, system administrators, and anyone involved in web technologies. Its clear and concise definitions of HTTP methods, status codes, and headers facilitate the creation of robust and interoperable web applications.