HTTP headers / request header

Host

Host: api.example.com

What it does

The hostname (and optional port) the request targets — mandatory in HTTP/1.1, the basis of virtual hosting and SNI routing.

The gotcha

Sending the wrong Host against a shared IP returns someone else's site or a 421; HTTP/2 carries it as the :authority pseudo-header.

Debugging headers on a phone

The fastest way to see what Host is actually doing is to send the request and read both sides raw — ReqPad shows auto-generated and custom headers for every request, on all six protocols, with history. Related references: status codes · Authorization · Accept · Accept-Encoding · Accept-Language · If-None-Match · If-Match

Inspect Host on a live request.

Build the request, send it, read raw headers and timing — from your iPhone. Free to start.