Chunked Transfer Encoding

Chunked Transfer Encoding is an HTTP/1.1 mechanism that allows a server to send a response body in a series of chunks, each with its own size indicator, without needing to know the total content length in advance. This enables streaming of dynamic or large content, such as video streams or real-time data, where the full size isn't predetermined. It's defined in RFC 7230 and is commonly used in web servers and proxies to handle responses efficiently.

Also known as: Chunked Encoding, HTTP Chunked, Transfer-Encoding: chunked, Chunked data transfer, Chunked response

Why learn Chunked Transfer Encoding?

Developers should learn and use Chunked Transfer Encoding when building applications that require streaming data, such as live video feeds, large file downloads, or real-time APIs, as it allows for incremental transmission without buffering the entire response. It's essential for optimizing performance in scenarios where content length is unknown at the start, like dynamically generated content or when using HTTP/1.1 without Content-Length headers, ensuring compatibility and reducing memory usage on servers.

Learning Resources

• docs: MDN Web Docs: Transfer-Encoding
• docs: RFC 7230: HTTP/1.1 Message Syntax and Routing
• video: Chunked Transfer Encoding Explained
• book: HTTP: The Definitive Guide (Book)
• tutorial: Chunked Encoding Tutorial on GeeksforGeeks