Every web server announces itself with every response: a status code, the server software, cache rules, content type, security headers and more. All of this travels in the HTTP response headers — data your browser hides from you. Our free HTTP Header Checker reveals it: enter any URL and our server sends a lightweight HEAD request, then reports the exact status code plus every response header the site returned. No signup, no download, no cost.
SEOs use header checks to verify that redirects return 301 instead of 302, that cache-control directives are set for speed, and that security headers like content-security-policy are present. Developers use them after deployments to confirm the right content-type and encoding are being served, and site owners use them to spot problems like unwanted server version banners that leak information to attackers.
Because the request runs from our server, you see the raw response without your browser’s caching or extensions interfering — the same clean view a search engine crawler gets. Try it on your own site first to establish a baseline, then compare against competitors.
HTTP Header Checker
Send a HEAD request to any URL and inspect its HTTP status code and full set of response headers.
How to use
- Enter the full URL you want to inspect (e.g. https://example.com).
- Click “Check Headers”.
- Read the HTTP status code at the top of the result.
- Scroll through the header table to review server, caching and security headers.
- Re-run after making changes to confirm they took effect.
FAQs
What is the difference between this and viewing source in my browser?
Viewing source shows the page content; headers are metadata your browser never displays. The checker shows the status code, redirect behavior, server software and cache rules — the technical layer underneath the page.
Why does the status code matter for SEO?
Search engines treat codes differently: 200 means success, 301 passes ranking signals to a new URL, while 404, 500 and 302 can waste crawl budget or dilute link equity. A quick header check confirms your pages return what you intend.
Should my server hide its version header?
Yes — banners like “Apache/2.4.41” help attackers pick exploits. If yours leaks version details, configure your server or firewall to suppress or strip the server header.