Articles/HTTP

Accept-Encoding Header Explained

What the HTTP Accept-Encoding header does and when it's used.

Published October 13, 2026

The Accept-Encoding header tells the server which compression algorithms the client supports, like gzip or br (Brotli).

Key points

  • The server picks a supported encoding and confirms it in the response's Content-Encoding header
  • Enabling compression can significantly reduce transfer size for text-based responses
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