falconry/falcon

Proper `HEAD` support for static routes

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#2,337 opened on Sep 22, 2024

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 (12 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Python (9,293 stars) (925 forks)batch import
enhancementgood first issue

Description

Implement proper HEAD support for static file serving.

The response should follow the same logic as the default GET behaviour (like now), but not open any file streams (because we do not need any as the response to a HEAD request cannot have any body anyway).

As a bonus, I think we need to block unsupported methods such as POST and PUT, and render the correct Allow header in response to OPTIONS.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
backendapi
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Understanding of HTTP methodsFamiliarity with Falcon static route handling
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60
Research direction
Implement HEAD for static routes by reusing the GET logic but without opening file streams. Also block unsupported methods like POST and PUT, and add an Allow header in response to OPTIONS. Check the existing static route implementation in falcon/routing/static.py and the HTTP method handling in falcon/request.py and falcon/response.py. See comments in issue #2337 for discussion on the approach.
Proper `HEAD` support for static routes · falconry/falcon#2337 | Good First Issue