[SLING-1180] Add default HEAD servlet

• Type: New Feature
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: Servlets Get 2.0.6
• Fix Version/s: Servlets Get 2.0.8
• Component/s: Servlets
• Assignee: Felix Meschberger
• Reporter: Felix Meschberger
• Created: 11/Nov/09 07:53
• Updated: 21/Dec/09 17:17
• Resolved: 10/Dec/09 19:51

Description

RFC 2616 states: "The HEAD method is identical to GET except that the server MUST NOT return a message-body in the response."

Currently Sling has no out-of-the-box support for handling HEAD requests and thus most HEAD requests will (in a default Sling installation) be handled by WebDAV servlet which handles all requests not handled by any other servlet/script.

I suggest we add a DefaultHeadServlet which handles HEAD requests as follows:

• wrap the response dropping any output (null writer/outputstream)
• wrap request overwriting the getMethod() method simulating a GET request
• forward the request to the request resource