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Response Header

WWW-Authenticate

: Bearer realm="api"

Defines the authentication method that should be used to gain access to the resource.

DirectionResponse Header
StatusStandardized
Seen with401
Defined inRFC 9110, Section 11.6.1
Updated2026-07-08

What is the WWW-Authenticate header?

The WWW-Authenticate response header defines the authentication schema needed to access the requested resource. The server must return this header in a 401 Unauthorized response.

API Usage & Best Practices

  • Always send on 401: Failure to return a WWW-Authenticate header on a 401 is a violation of HTTP specifications.
  • Specify realms or schemes: E.g. WWW-Authenticate: Bearer realm="api" or WWW-Authenticate: Basic realm="admin".

Examples

HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized
WWW-Authenticate: Bearer realm="api"

Status codes seen with it

1

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