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Getting a HAR File with Akamai Pragma Headers

Gathing HAR File for Troubleshooting with Akamai Pragma Headers

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Creating a HAR File with Akamai Pragma Headers in Mozilla Firefox

A HAR (HTTP Archive) file is a JSON-formatted log that captures a web browser's interactions with a website — including network requests, responses, timings, and errors. It’s commonly used for troubleshooting access issues, performance problems, or debugging when testing a URL.

To create a HAR file for testing access to a specific URL, you can use your browser's developer tools.

Steps to Create a HAR File in Mozilla Firefox

1. Install Header Editor

  1. Open Firefox and go to the Firefox Add-ons store.
  2. Search for “Header Editor.”
  3. Click Add to Firefox on the Header Editor extension page, then confirm by clicking Add in the prompt.
  4. Once installed, the Header Editor icon (usually a small header-like symbol) will appear in your Firefox toolbar.

2. Access Header Editor Settings

  1. Click the Header Editor icon in the Firefox toolbar,
    or go to Menu → Add-ons and Themes → Extensions, find Header Editor, and click Preferences or Options.
  2. This opens the Header Editor management interface in a new tab.

3. Create a New Rule to Add Akamai Pragma Headers

  1. In the Header Editor interface, click Add Rule (or the + icon, depending on version).

  2. Configure the rule as follows:

    SettingValue
    Rule NameAkamai Pragma Headers
    Rule TypeModify Request Header
    Header NamePragma
    Header Valueakamai-x-cache-on, akamai-x-cache-remote-on, akamai-x-check-cacheable, akamai-x-get-cache-key, akamai-x-get-extracted-values, akamai-x-get-nonces, akamai-x-get-ssl-client-session-id, akamai-x-get-true-cache-key, akamai-x-serial-no, akamai-x-feo-trace, akamai-x-get-request-id
    ActionAdd
    Apply ToAll URLs or a specific URL (e.g. https://example.com/*)

  3. Save the rule by clicking OK or Save.

4. Enable the Rule

  • Ensure the rule is toggled ON in the Header Editor interface (there’s usually a checkbox or toggle next to the rule).
  • You can also enable or disable the entire extension via the Header Editor icon in the toolbar.

5. Open Firefox Developer Tools for HAR File Capture

  1. Navigate to the URL you want to test.

  2. Open Web Developer Tools:

    • Press Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Option + I (Mac),
      or right-click on the page and select Inspect → Network.

  3. Check Persist Logs (or Preserve log) to retain network activity across page reloads.

  4. (Optional) Clear existing logs by clicking the trash can icon or Clear button.

6. Perform the Access Test

  1. With the Header Editor rule active, refresh the page (F5 or Cmd + R) or perform the desired action (e.g., form submission).
  2. The Header Editor will automatically inject the Pragma headers into the request.

7. Verify Akamai Headers in the Network Tab

  1. In the Network tab, locate the request for the URL.

  2. Click the request, then check the Headers pane:

    • Under Request Headers, confirm the Pragma header includes the Akamai values you added.

    • Under Response Headers, look for Akamai-specific headers such as:

      • X-Akamai-Request-ID
      • X-Cache
      • X-Cache-Remote

  3. If these are missing, the server may not be configured to return Akamai debug headers or the URL may not be served via Akamai.

8. Export the HAR File

  1. In the Network tab, right-click any request in the list.

  2. Select Save All As HAR or Save all as HAR with content.

  3. Save the .har file to your computer — it will include:

    • The request with the injected Pragma headers
    • Any Akamai response headers

9. Validate the HAR File

  1. Open the .har file in a text editor or a HAR viewer.

  2. Search for:

    • The Pragma header in the request section
    • The X-Akamai-* headers in the response section

  3. Confirm they were captured correctly.

10. Troubleshooting & Best Practices

  • If the Akamai headers don’t appear:

    • Double-check the rule in Header Editor for typos or incorrect settings.
    • Ensure the URL is served by Akamai’s CDN — Pragma headers only work with Akamai-enabled servers.

  • Alternative Extensions:
    If Header Editor doesn’t work as expected, try:

    • Modify Headers
    • Requestly

  • Disable When Not Needed:
    Turn off the Header Editor rule or extension after testing to avoid sending unnecessary headers on other requests.

  • Sensitive Data Warning:
    HAR files may include cookies or authentication tokens. Sanitize the file (remove sensitive data) before sharing.

Google Chrome

The process for Google Chrome is very similar and can be done using the ModHeader extension instead of Header Editor.

Updated about 3 hours ago