"What are the best practices for naming custom HTTP headers?"

"Use lowercase names for HTTP/2/3 compatibility, include organization prefixes to avoid conflicts, avoid the deprecated X- prefix, choose descriptive meaningful names, follow kebab-case convention, and ensure ASCII character compatibility across all HTTP infrastructure components."

"Why was the X- prefix for HTTP headers deprecated?"

"RFC 6648 deprecated the X- prefix because it created standardization challenges, led to permanent experimental status for widely-adopted headers, and caused inconsistent implementations. Headers like X-Frame-Options became standard but kept the X- prefix, creating confusion about their official status."

"How do HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 affect custom header naming?"

"HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 require all header names to be lowercase, unlike HTTP/1.1 which is case-insensitive. This means headers like 'Content-Type' must be written as 'content-type' in HTTP/2/3, affecting how applications handle header naming and processing."

"What security considerations apply to custom HTTP headers?"

"Never expose sensitive data in headers, avoid revealing infrastructure details, be careful with CORS preflight triggers, validate header sizes to prevent DoS attacks, and ensure headers don't leak user information or internal system details to unauthorized parties."

"How should organizations migrate from X- prefixed headers?"

"Create a migration timeline, implement dual support during transition, use deprecation warnings, update documentation, audit existing X- headers, plan replacement names with organization prefixes, communicate changes to API consumers, and remove deprecated headers after sunset period."

"What header naming patterns do major tech companies use?"

"GitHub uses 'GitHub-' prefix (GitHub-Media-Type), Stripe uses 'Stripe-' (Stripe-Version), Shopify uses 'Shopify-' (Shopify-Shop-Domain), and many companies use functional domains like 'Auth-', 'Rate-Limit-', or 'Trace-' for specific purposes."

"What are the best practices for naming custom HTTP headers?"

"Use lowercase names for HTTP/2/3 compatibility, include organization prefixes to avoid conflicts, avoid the deprecated X- prefix, choose descriptive meaningful names, follow kebab-case convention, and ensure ASCII character compatibility across all HTTP infrastructure components."

"Why was the X- prefix for HTTP headers deprecated?"

"RFC 6648 deprecated the X- prefix because it created standardization challenges, led to permanent experimental status for widely-adopted headers, and caused inconsistent implementations. Headers like X-Frame-Options became standard but kept the X- prefix, creating confusion about their official status."

"How do HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 affect custom header naming?"

"HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 require all header names to be lowercase, unlike HTTP/1.1 which is case-insensitive. This means headers like 'Content-Type' must be written as 'content-type' in HTTP/2/3, affecting how applications handle header naming and processing."

"What security considerations apply to custom HTTP headers?"

"Never expose sensitive data in headers, avoid revealing infrastructure details, be careful with CORS preflight triggers, validate header sizes to prevent DoS attacks, and ensure headers don't leak user information or internal system details to unauthorized parties."

"How should organizations migrate from X- prefixed headers?"

"Create a migration timeline, implement dual support during transition, use deprecation warnings, update documentation, audit existing X- headers, plan replacement names with organization prefixes, communicate changes to API consumers, and remove deprecated headers after sunset period."

"What header naming patterns do major tech companies use?"

"GitHub uses 'GitHub-' prefix (GitHub-Media-Type), Stripe uses 'Stripe-' (Stripe-Version), Shopify uses 'Shopify-' (Shopify-Shop-Domain), and many companies use functional domains like 'Auth-', 'Rate-Limit-', or 'Trace-' for specific purposes."

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