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Content Negotiation: Difference between revisions
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== Mechanism == | == Mechanism == | ||
# When a client makes a request to a server it supplies all the formats it supports in the [[Accept Header]]: <code>Accept: text/html,application/xhtml+xml</code>. | |||
# The server looks at the list the client sent and excludes all formats it does not support. | |||
# If there are no common formats, the server either responds with [[406 Not Acceptable]] or it picks a fallback format like <code>text/html</code>. | |||
# If there are common formats left, the server picks the one the client marked with the highest priority. | |||
# The server then returns the content that matches the negotiated format. | |||
== Wildcards == | |||
Sometimes clients want to specify general classes that they accept. This can be done by using a <code>*</code>. This allows clients to request things like imge types: (<code>image/*</code>), or anything at all: (<code>*/*</code>) | |||
== Content-Language Negotiation == | |||
Aside from negotiating the [[Content-Type Header | Content-Type]] of the response, HTTP also allows clients to negotiate the [[Content-Language]] of the returned data. This is done in the same way as above but then with the [[Accept-Language Header]]. | |||
== Best Practices == | |||
To make life easier for everyone we recommend following these practices: | |||
=== Return a <code>text/html</code> Response by Default === | |||
Primarily if the request contains no Accept header or if the client asks for <code>*/*</code>. Ideally this should show a browser friendly interface or an [[API Viewer]]. | |||
This allows users to use their browser to explore the data and makes it mandatory for clients to specify what response they want, an important step needed to allow [[Backward Compatibility]]. | |||
=== Return a List of Supported Formats When Sending a 406 Not Acceptable === | |||
Ideally these should link to [[API Viewer]] screens that show the response so users can explore the API in their browser. | |||
[[Category: Terminology]] | |||