What does it mean your browser sent a request that this server could not understand size of a request header field exceeds server limit?

Symptom

When you cannot login any more in Testlink because of the following error:

Bad Request Your browser sent a request that this server could not understand. Size of a request header field exceeds server limit. Cookie

it means that some of the cookies used by Testlink have grown too big for a normal HTTP header.

Workaround (versions < 1.9.20)

If you are using Apache, it is possible to configure the server to accept bigger header filed sizes by using the following directive in apache.cong (or in your vhost definition):

LimitRequestFieldsize 1048576

(default value is 8K)

Real fix (versions >= 1.9.20)

Testlink project has an open issue for this in their mantis bug tracker: http://mantis.testlink.org/view.php?id=3714

And it has been fixed for versions >= 1.9.20 by this commit: https://github.com/TestLinkOpenSourceTRMS/testlink-code/commit/12d29d12d3ea82ac2f9746f4d96b36af817d32a8 (I haven't tested it yet)


Topics Map > OS and Desktop Applications > Applications > Browsers

This document describes what to do if you receive a 400 Bad Request error message upon loading a website.

Problem

When you attempt to access a website, you may sometimes instead receive a "Bad Request" error message where the website content should have loaded. This error often contains the number "400" and may include additional text, such as "Your browser sent a request that this server could not understand. Size of a request header field exceeds server limit."

Solution

First, check the website URL you entered to make sure it is correct. If the web address appears to be entered correctly, then the issue can usually be resolved by clearing your browser's cache and cookies.

For instructions on performing these steps, click on the appropriate link for the web browser you are using:

Clearing the browser cache prevents you from using old/out-of-date versions of websites and protects your personal information. It also helps running some applications better on your computer by freeing up space.

Table with browser name and links to Windows documents and macOS documents.
BrowserWindows Document LinkmacOS Document Link
What does it mean your browser sent a request that this server could not understand size of a request header field exceeds server limit?

Google Chrome
Chrome (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies Chrome (Mac) - Clearing Cache and Cookies
What does it mean your browser sent a request that this server could not understand size of a request header field exceeds server limit?

Firefox
Firefox 57+ (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies Firefox 21+ (Mac) - Clearing Cache and Cookies
What does it mean your browser sent a request that this server could not understand size of a request header field exceeds server limit?

Safari
Safari (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies Safari 10.0.1+ (Mac) - Clearing Cache and Cookies
What does it mean your browser sent a request that this server could not understand size of a request header field exceeds server limit?

Internet Explorer 9, 10, & 11
Internet Explorer 9, 10 and 11 (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies None
What does it mean your browser sent a request that this server could not understand size of a request header field exceeds server limit?

Microsoft Edge
Edge (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies None
What does it mean your browser sent a request that this server could not understand size of a request header field exceeds server limit?

Opera
Opera (Win) - Clearing Cache and Cookies Opera 28.0 (Mac) - Clearing Cache and Cookies
What does it mean your browser sent a request that this server could not understand size of a request header field exceeds server limit?

New Microsoft Edge
New Edge (Win 10, 8, 7, MacOS) - Clearing Cache and Cookies New Edge (Win 10, 8, 7, MacOS) - Clearing Cache and Cookies
Table with mobile Operating System and corresponding documents on clearing cache and cookies.
Operating SystemDocument Link
What does it mean your browser sent a request that this server could not understand size of a request header field exceeds server limit?

Android
Android (Jellybean) - Clearing Cache and Cookies on Google Chrome
What does it mean your browser sent a request that this server could not understand size of a request header field exceeds server limit?

iOS
iOS - Clearing Cache and Cookies
What does it mean your browser sent a request that this server could not understand size of a request header field exceeds server limit?

webOS
HP webOS 2.x - Clearing Cache and Cookies
What does it mean your browser sent a request that this server could not understand size of a request header field exceeds server limit?

Windows Phone
Internet Explorer (Windows Phone) - Clearing Cache and Cookies

Windows

MacOS

See Also:

  • NetID Login - How to Fix a "Stale Request" Error