RequestUri

RequestURI is the part of an HTTP request that identifies the resource on the origin server. In practice, the term is closely related to the request-target defined in RFC 7230, which describes the form of the request-target carried in the request line. The Request-URI is the value immediately after the HTTP method in the request line. Depending on the form, it may be an origin-form like /path/resource?query, an absolute-form like http://host/path?query, or an asterisk-form like *. The origin-form is the most common when contacting the origin server directly; absolute-form is used when a client sends a full URL, typically in proxy requests; the asterisk form is used with the OPTIONS method to query the server’s capabilities.

Examples include: GET /index.html HTTP/1.1; GET /search?q=example HTTP/1.1; GET http://example.com/index.html HTTP/1.1; OPTIONS * HTTP/1.1. These illustrate the different targets a server may receive as the request URI.

In CGI and many server-side environments, the RequestURI or its equivalent contains the path and query string, but not the scheme, host, or port. For example, in CGI, REQUEST_URI often equals /path?query. In PHP, $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']; in Java, HttpServletRequest.getRequestURI() returns the path component while getRequestURL() provides the full URL and getQueryString() returns the query.

Usage and interpretation: servers, frameworks, and logs rely on the RequestURI to route, authorize, and record access. Proper handling includes correct decoding, validation, and protection against potential ambiguities or manipulations in the request target.