I am delivering a JS response from a PHP file. When setting the Content-Type header which value should I use, application/javascript or text/javascript?
What’s the difference between the two?
asked Oct 21, 2010 at 12:25
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4Similar to stackoverflow.com/questions/876561/…– Asif MullaCommented Oct 21, 2010 at 12:33
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4 Answers
According to the IANA Registered MIME media type list, JS has two registered MIME types; the obsolete application/javascript and the now official text/javascript.
Thus, use text/javascript.
Note: This answer previously claimed the exact opposite (based on RFC 4329), but since RFC 9239 was published in May 2022 the text/javascript media type is preferred over application/javascript.
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@some: Wikipedia implies otherwise, but this is the correct MIME type. The obsolete one may be used instead, if IE would choke in the correct one.– YouCommented Oct 21, 2010 at 14:08
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2@some: I think, as per annevankesteren.nl/2006/05/javascript-mime-type, that
application/javascriptdoesn’t work inside thetypeattribute in script tags in IE 7 and older, but is fine for your HTTPContent-Typeheader. I haven’t tested that though. Commented Apr 29, 2013 at 15:50 -
8I believe this answer is obsolete. See the HTML5 spec which states “Servers should use text/javascript for JavaScript resources. Servers should not use other JavaScript MIME types for JavaScript resources”: html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/… h/t stackoverflow.com/questions/21098865/… Commented Jul 25, 2021 at 22:38
According to IANA, on 2022-05-10, text/javascript should be used.
Who knows what it'll be in a year!
answered May 11, 2022 at 15:36
From Wikipedia on Internet Media Types
application/javascript:JavaScript; Defined in RFC 4329 but not accepted in IE 8 or earlier
There is also the deprecated text/javascript (which IE will probably not choke on).
you should only use
text/javascript. It's the only MIME type guaranteed to work now and into the future. ~ MDN webdocs
top-voted answer to use application/javascript is obsolete
