TE in the HTTP protocol acts as a header that can identify a request, which is used under specific conditions by servers and clients. This header is directly related to the necessary capabilities for changing the format of or transferring HTTP-related data. In fact, TE indicates a list of transfer encodings that must be used for the reception of them.
Previously, TE was mostly used when data was sent by means of specific transfer encodings, while it was necessary for data to be sent in a chunked manner to reduce the overall bandwidth consumption. However, nowadays, due to new technologies, the use of TE has decreased over time. For example, modern routers mostly presuppose chunked transfer encoding, therefore the need for specific headers like TE is no longer present.
The TE header can also be utilized in specific environments, including web services and complex systems like IoT. In these cases, the user or device may need to specifically change data formats or certain formats to achieve specific goals, such as reducing latency or improving performance.
One of the cases where TE is used is when the server needs to send different data using specific chunked techniques like "chunked". This technique is much more efficient for sending data in smaller bits.
TE is defined by the RFC 9110 standards and is also striving to meet various requirements within the HTTP protocol. However, the usage has mostly been replaced by other common transfer methods for transferring data.
Code Example
GET /resource HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
TE: chunked
Line by Line Code Explanation
GET /resource HTTP/1.1: This is a request to retrieve a specific resource using the GET method in HTTP protocol 1.1.Host: example.com: This line indicates the name of the destination server that must be connected to.TE: chunked: The TE header informs the server that the client can handle data transfer using the "chunked" encoding.