BeginnerScenario
5 min
HTTP Header Bloat Causing 431 Errors
HTTPNetworkingDebugging
Advertisement
Interview Question
Clients receive 431 Request Header Fields Too Large errors. Walk me through how you identify and remediate.
Key Points to Cover
- Inspect server logs and request headers
- Identify large cookies, tokens, or headers
- Trim/reduce header size or switch to body payload
- Adjust server/proxy header size limits if needed
- Educate dev teams to avoid oversized headers
Evaluation Rubric
Identifies oversized headers30% weight
Analyzes cookies/tokens contributing30% weight
Suggests practical header fixes20% weight
Mentions dev guidance and limits20% weight
Hints
- 💡JWTs in headers often cause bloat.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- ⚠️Failing to check server logs first, leading to unnecessary client-side debugging.
- ⚠️Assuming the problem is always cookies and not considering other header types like JWTs or custom headers.
- ⚠️Overlooking the possibility of a legitimate but large legitimate data transfer that needs a different approach (e.g., body payload).
- ⚠️Implementing server-side configuration changes without understanding the root cause or potential performance impacts.
- ⚠️Not involving the client-side development team in the remediation process, leading to a one-sided fix.
Potential Follow-up Questions
- ❓When to move data to request body?
- ❓How to enforce max header size globally?
Advertisement