Does HttpClient add header 'Acept-Encoding' is 'gzip, deflate' automatically?

Question

Hi there,

I using HttpClient to get data from a web server which enabling gzip response data. My code is very simple:

using (HttpClient httpClient = new HttpClient())
{
    // To do
    httpResponseMsg = await httpClient.SendRequestAsync(myPOSTRequestMessage);
....
}

I use a tool to capture http trafiic on my PC, it is Fiddler. And here is what I see:

So does the HttpClient auto add 'Acept-Encoding' header?

Thanks,

Vu

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Vu Tran

Answer 1

It is just the platform letting the server know about the fact that it can handle decompression. It was not supported on win phone 7 and Silverlight, but on Winrt 8 decompression is supporter. On .NET, you had a flag to set the AutomaticDecompression. On Windows Runtime, the property is moved to the filters https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/windows.web.http.filters.httpbaseprotocolfilter.automaticdecompression.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396. Notice the default value is set to true.

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Can Bilgin
Blog Samples CompuSight

Answer 2

It is just the platform letting the server know about the fact that it can handle decompression. It was not supported on win phone 7 and Silverlight, but on Winrt 8 decompression is supporter. On .NET, you had a flag to set the AutomaticDecompression. On Windows Runtime, the property is moved to the filters https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/windows.web.http.filters.httpbaseprotocolfilter.automaticdecompression.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396. Notice the default value is set to true.

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Can Bilgin
Blog Samples CompuSight

Hi Can Bilgin,

Thanks for your info.

Yes, I knew about the AutomaticDecompression property. I just want to know HttpClient has default header 'Acept-Encoding' gzip or not?

Thanks,

Vu

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Vu Tran

Answer 3

Hi Vu Tran,

The answer can be found from the documentation Can Bilgin provided, see the remark section of AutomaticDecompression | automaticDecompression property and the default value is true

When this property is set to true, the Accept-Encoding header is added to the headers and set to allow gzip and compress.

That means the accept-encoding is add automatically by HttpClient.

--James

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