Question

I have a HTTP client that sets the Connection header to the following value when I make a request:

   Connection: close

However when the server sends a response, it is setting the header to Keep-Alive:

   Connection: Keep-Alive

This seems intuitively wrong to me, and I am wondering how the client should handle such a response from the server? Also why would a server respond with Keep-Alive, when the client has asked for the connection to be closed, is this valid?

According to the HTTP RFC:

“HTTP/1.1 defines the “close” connection option for the sender to signal that the connection will be closed after completion of the response. For example,

   Connection: close

in either the request or the response header fields indicates that the connection SHOULD NOT be considered `persistent’ (section 8.1) after the current request/response is complete.”

Answer 1

That’s fine. You are telling the server you don’t support persistent connections and it’s telling you it does. Either party is completely valid in closing the connection – it’s more of a message about what both supports rather then a YOU MUST CLOSE THIS CONNECTION command.