Are OPTIONS and TRACE safe?

[mnot@…]

p2 7.2 currently says about OPTIONS: This method allows the client to

determine the options and/or requirements associated with a resource, or the capabilities of a server, without implying a resource action or initiating a resource retrieval.

That sounds safe to me, but I don't see anywhere where this is said explicitly.

The answer matters for things like redirection without user intervention (assuming we keep that requirement).

Proposal: Specify that OPTIONS is safe.

Same question for TRACE.

Note that the method registry template (new in bis) already identifies them as safe.

[mnot@…]

See also text in 2616 9.1.2:

Also, the methods OPTIONS and

TRACE SHOULD NOT have side effects, and so are inherently idempotent.

[julian.reschke@…]

Proposed patch for part 2.

[julian.reschke@…]

From [708]:

Mention TRACE and OPTIONS as safe in prose (see #171)

[julian.reschke@…]

Proposal: close this one.

Open a new issue about restructuring all method descriptions to be more consistent with respect to safeness, caching, whatnot.