In an HTTP transaction, what does the response header contain?

In an HTTP transaction, the response header plays a crucial role as it contains status information and metadata about the response sent from the server to the client. This header includes important pieces of information such as the HTTP status code (which indicates whether the request was successful or if there was an error), content type, content length, caching directives, and other context that helps the client understand how to handle the response.

For example, the status code like 200 OK signifies a successful request, while other codes like 404 Not Found or 500 Internal Server Error provide error information. Additionally, metadata such as the date the response was generated, server type, and any session or cookie-related data are included in the response header, aiding in proper communication and interpretation of the data that follows in the body of the response.

In contrast, client information alone does not provide a comprehensive view of the transaction state, server configuration details are not part of the response header (rather they might be included in specific headers), and the response cannot be accurately described as containing only the data body, as that would neglect the essential metadata and status information provided in the response header.