Chapter 3. HTTP Mechanics

WebDAV depends on HTTP and the HTTP infrastructure. WebDAV follows the HTTP request and response syntax and uses HTTP methods (particularly GET, PUT, DELETE, OPTIONS) and HTTP error codes. Many HTTP headers are reused in WebDAV requests, and some WebDAV headers are added to HTTP requests. WebDAV requests and responses pass through proxies and firewalls that treat them as HTTP. WebDAV has many required features that are only documented in the HTTP specification, so it's important to understand HTTP.

Few good books thoroughly cover HTTP. Web Protocols and Practice [Krishnamurthy01] is the first exception. It starts with basic HTTP material and adds extensive detail on underlying protocols, caching, and performance concerns. HTTP: The Definitive Guide [Gourley02] covers the basics a little more fully and adds in-depth material on URLs, proxying, security, and Web hosting.

This chapter provides an overview of HTTP/1.1 for the purposes of WebDAV usage. HTTP/1.1 replaced HTTP/1.0 in 1997, and WebDAV extends HTTP/1.1, so I don't cover HTTP/1.0 features, for the most part. Not all HTTP features are discussed, and some are only briefly mentioned. Some HTTP methods must be used more carefully in a WebDAV repository; those complexities are covered in Chapter 5, WebDAV Modifications to HTTP. This chapter is not intended to exhaustively describe HTTP, so I've focused on explanations and simple examples rather than syntax, definitions, and corner cases.



WebDAV. Next Generation Collaborative Web Authoring
WebDAV. Next Generation Collaborative Web Authoring
ISBN: 130652083
EAN: N/A
Year: 2003
Pages: 146

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