index.md

---

title: HEAD
slug: Web/HTTP/Methods/HEAD
browser-compat: http.methods.HEAD

---

{{HTTPSidebar}}

The HTTP HEAD method requests the headers that would be returned if the HEAD request's URL was instead requested with the HTTP {{HTTPMethod("GET")}} method. For example, if a URL might produce a large download, a HEAD request could read its {{HTTPHeader("Content-Length")}} header to check the filesize without actually downloading the file.

Warning: A response to a HEAD method should not have a body. If it has one anyway, that body must be ignored: any {{glossary("Representation header", "representation headers")}} that might describe the erroneous body are instead assumed to describe the response which a similar GET request would have received.

If the response to a HEAD request shows that a cached URL response is now outdated, the cached copy is invalidated even if no GET request was made.

Request has body	No
Successful response has body	No
{{Glossary("Safe/HTTP", "Safe")}}	Yes
{{Glossary("Idempotent")}}	Yes
{{Glossary("Cacheable")}}	Yes
Allowed in HTML forms	No

Syntax

HEAD /index.html

Specifications

{{Specifications}}

Browser compatibility

{{Compat}}

See also

• {{HTTPMethod("GET")}}