API Design
HTTP Content Negotiation Reference
Search content negotiation concepts — Accept and Content-Type headers, quality values, Vary header caching, and application/problem+json error format.
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About this tool
HTTP Content Negotiation Reference
The HTTP Content Negotiation Reference covers Accept, Content-Type, and Vary headers with quality value syntax, caching implications, and RFC 7807 problem detail format.
• Look up how to correctly use Accept header quality values for format preference
• Reference Vary header behavior for caching with content negotiation
• Find the correct Content-Type for an error response (application/problem+json)
• Understand 406 Not Acceptable vs 415 Unsupported Media Type in API responses
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FAQ
What does this tool tell you?
The HTTP Content Negotiation Reference covers Accept, Content-Type, and Vary headers with quality value syntax, caching implications, and RFC 7807 problem detail format.
What affects the result most?
Accept header: client declares preferred response format — application/json, application/xml, text/html. Content-Type: describes request body format — must match server expectation or 415 Unsupported Media Type. Quality values: Accept: text/html, application/json;q=0.9, */*;q=0.8 — weighted preference.
How should I use the result?
Use this tool to orient quickly to the concepts, field names, or values you are about to look up in a full specification or vendor documentation. It summarizes the common cases; the authoritative source remains whichever standard or vendor doc defines the values themselves.
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