Reading the actual specification
RFCs are readable if you know where to start, and being able to cite one settles arguments that would otherwise last a week.
HTTP semantics live in RFC 9110, and it is written in short numbered sections that answer one question each. MUST, SHOULD and MAY are defined terms, not emphasis: MUST is a conformance requirement, SHOULD means there had better be a good reason, MAY is genuinely optional. Half of all API arguments dissolve when someone reads the sentence and notices which word it uses.
The habit worth building is small. When you and a colleague disagree about status codes or caching behaviour, find the section rather than the Stack Overflow answer that quotes it inaccurately. It takes four minutes, it is verifiable, and it is one of the few places in this industry where there is an actual right answer written down.
You should now be able to
- Find the normative answer to an HTTP question
- Tell a requirement from a recommendation
Loading…