Experiencing a ‘400 Bad Request – Request Header or Cookie Too Large nginx’ error can be frustrating. However, this is a common issue that many webmasters and developers encounter. The good news is that it can be easily resolved.
Understanding the 400 Bad Request Error
Before diving into the solutions, let’s understand what the error means. The ‘400 Bad Request – Request Header or Cookie Too Large nginx’ error usually occurs when the server cannot process the request because the size of the cookie or the request header exceeds the limit set by the server.
Solution 1: Clearing Your Browser Cookies
Often, this error can be resolved by simply clearing your browser cookies, particularly those associated with the site you’re trying to access.
For Chrome users:
- Click on the three dots at the top right corner and select ‘Settings’.
- Navigate to ‘Privacy and security’, then click ‘Clear browsing data’.
- Select ‘Cookies and other site data’, then click ‘Clear data’.
For Firefox users:
- Click on the three lines at the top right corner and select ‘Options’.
- Go to ‘Privacy & Security’, scroll down to ‘Cookies and Site Data’ then click ‘Clear Data’.
- Check ‘Cookies and Site Data’, then click ‘Clear’.
Solution 2: Increasing the Buffer and Timeout Limit
If clearing your browser cookies doesn’t work, or if you’re the site owner and many users are experiencing this issue, it might be necessary to increase the buffer and timeout limits on the server itself.
Please note that this step requires server access and a bit of technical know-how.
Here are the steps to increase the buffer size and timeout limits in Nginx:
- Access your server via SSH. Software like PuTTY can be used for this.
- Open your Nginx configuration file using a text editor. If you’re using a default installation, you can use the command
sudo nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf. - Locate the
httpblock and include the following lines:
client_header_buffer_size 1k;
large_client_header_buffers 4 16k;
client_body_timeout 12;
client_header_timeout 12;
The values above are just examples. You can adjust them according to your needs.
- Save and exit the configuration file.
- To ensure the configuration is correct, you can test it with the command
sudo nginx -t. - If the configuration test is successful, restart your Nginx server using the command
sudo systemctl restart nginx.
These steps should help resolve the ‘400 Bad Request – Request Header or Cookie Too Large nginx’ error. If you’re still having issues, it’s best to contact your hosting provider or a professional developer for further assistance.
Note: Always backup your server’s data before making any changes to its configuration.
References:
By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the ‘400 Bad Request – Request Header or Cookie Too Large nginx’ error. Don’t be discouraged if you encounter server issues. They are a normal part of managing a website and can be resolved with a bit of knowledge and patience.
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