HTTP 206 Partial Content

Overview

The HTTP 206 Partial Content status code indicates that the server is successfully fulfilling a range request for a portion of the requested resource.

Purpose

The HTTP 206 response is typically used in response to a client request that includes a Range header, indicating that only a part of the resource is needed. This is commonly used in scenarios like resuming downloads or streaming media.

Usage

Client Behavior:

1. Send Range Request: The client sends an HTTP request with a Range header specifying the desired part of the resource.
2. Receive Response: The client receives the HTTP 206 status code along with the specified range of the content.

Server Behavior:

1. Process Range Request: The server processes the request and identifies the specified range of the resource.
2. Send Response: The server sends a 206 Partial Content response with the specified portion of the resource.

Scenarios

• Resuming Downloads: Allowing clients to resume interrupted downloads without re-downloading the entire resource.
• Media Streaming: Used in video or audio streaming services to deliver portions of a file as requested by the client.

Sequence Diagram

Illustrating the request and response process for HTTP 206:

sequenceDiagram
    participant Client
    participant Server as Web Server

    Note over Client: Client requests a specific range
    Client->>Server: GET /video.mp4 HTTP/1.1
    Client->>Server: Range: bytes=1000-2000
    Note over Server: Server sends the requested range
    Server->>Client: HTTP/1.1 206 Partial Content
    Server->>Client: Content-Range: bytes 1000-2000/100000

Curl Request and Response Example

Requesting a specific range of content using Curl:

curl -i -H "Range: bytes=1000-2000" http://example.com/video.mp4
# Expected response: HTTP/1.1 206 Partial Content
# Content-Range: bytes 1000-2000/100000

PHP cURL Request and Response Example

PHP script using cURL to request a specific range of content:

<?php
$ch = curl_init('http://example.com/video.mp4');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RANGE, '1000-2000');
$response = curl_exec($ch);
if (curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE) == 206) {
    echo "Partial content received.";
}
curl_close($ch);
?>

Python Request and Response Example

Python script to send a range request and handle a 206 Partial Content response:

import requests
headers = {'Range': 'bytes=1000-2000'}
response = requests.get('http://example.com/video.mp4', headers=headers)
if response.status_code == 206:
    print("Partial content received")

Apache Configuration for HTTP 206 Partial Content

Configuring Apache to support range requests for partial content delivery:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    # Enable mod_headers for Range requests
    <IfModule mod_headers.c>
        Header set Accept-Ranges bytes
    </IfModule>
    # Other configurations...
</VirtualHost>

NGINX Configuration for HTTP 206 Partial Content

Setting up NGINX to handle HTTP range requests for partial content delivery:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    location / {
        # Ensure NGINX supports Range requests
        proxy_pass http://backend_server;
        proxy_set_header Range $http_range;
        proxy_set_header If-Range $http_if_range;
        # Additional configurations...
    }
}

HTTP 205 Reset Content HTTP 207 Multi-Status (WebDAV)