Setting custom header using HttpURLConnection

Question

I am simply making a GET request to a Rest API using HttpURLConnection.

I need to add some custom headers but I am getting null while trying to retrieve their values.

Code:

URL url;
try {
    url = new URL("http://www.example.com/rest/");
    HttpURLConnection conn = (HttpURLConnection) url.openConnection();

    // Set Headers
    conn.setRequestProperty("CustomHeader", "someValue");
    conn.setRequestProperty("accept", "application/json");

    // Output is null here <--------
    System.out.println(conn.getHeaderField("CustomHeader"));

    // Request not successful
    if (conn.getResponseCode() != HttpURLConnection.HTTP_OK) {
        throw new RuntimeException("Request Failed. HTTP Error Code: " + conn.getResponseCode());
    }

    // Read response
    BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(conn.getInputStream()));
    StringBuffer jsonString = new StringBuffer();
    String line;
    while ((line = br.readLine()) != null) {
        jsonString.append(line);
    }
    br.close();
    conn.disconnect();
} catch (IOException e) {
    e.printStackTrace();
}

What am I missing?

this returns your value; System.out.println(conn.getRequestProperty("CustomHeader")); — erolkaya84
– erolkaya84, Commented Jun 28, 2016 at 7:42

Alp Altunel · Accepted Answer · 2016-10-26 05:43:44Z

12

It is a good idea to send

conn.setRequestProperty("Content-Type", "application/json");
conn.setRequestProperty("CustomHeader", token);

instead of

// Set Headers
conn.setRequestProperty("CustomHeader", "someValue");
conn.setRequestProperty("accept", "application/json");

Both the type value and header should be changed. it works in my case.

answered Oct 26, 2016 at 5:43

Alp Altunel

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2 Comments

Abhishekh Gupta Over a year ago

It's a GET request. I am not sending any content & expecting the response of type application/json so, is there any reason for using Content-Type instead of accept here?

Wyck Over a year ago

Who took it upon themselves to rename "header" to "property" ? This was very surprising.

Krzysztof Krasoń · Accepted Answer · 2016-06-28 07:41:26Z

7

The conn.getHeaderField("CustomHeader") returns the response header not the request one.

To return the request header use: conn.getRequestProperty("CustomHeader")

answered Jun 28, 2016 at 7:41

Krzysztof Krasoń

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1 Comment

Abhishekh Gupta Over a year ago

Yeah, it returned that. Thanks :) Not sure then why getting 401.

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