Why Does Java Throw ‘Request header is too large’ and How to Fix It in Spring Boot
Encountering a java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Request header is too large? This guide explains the root cause—oversized HTTP headers—and offers two practical solutions: adjusting the server’s max‑http‑header‑size setting in Spring Boot and redesigning requests to keep header data minimal.
Today I saw a colleague in the group ask how to resolve this exception:
java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Request header is too largeException cause
According to the exception message "Request header is too large", the error is caused by an HTTP request header that exceeds the allowed size.
How to solve
The solutions focus on two directions:
Direction 1: Increase the server’s allowed maximum header size
If you are using Spring Boot, you can configure this parameter in the application properties: server.max-http-header-size= Direction 2: Avoid sending overly large headers
While increasing the limit can solve the immediate problem, indiscriminately adding data to headers is not advisable. It is better to keep header data small and move large payloads to the request body.
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Programmer DD
A tinkering programmer and author of "Spring Cloud Microservices in Action"
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