AWS
InvalidAddressingHeader - Invalid Addressing Header
Getting an **InvalidAddressingHeader** error means the HTTP addressing headers in your AWS API request are invalid or malformed—headers like Host, X-Amz-Date, or X-Amz-Target don't match AWS requirements. This client-side error (4xx) happens when AWS validates request headers. Most common when making direct HTTP requests to AWS APIs, but also appears when addressing header format is invalid, required headers are missing, header values are incorrect or malformed, or headers don't match service requirements.
#Common Causes
- →Identity: IAM policy allows request but header invalid. Service Control Policy (SCP) enforces header validation.
- →Network: VPC endpoint header restrictions. API Gateway header validation. Invalid header format.
- →Limits: Invalid addressing header format. Missing required addressing header (Host, X-Amz-Date, X-Amz-Target). Header value incorrect or malformed. Header structure invalid.
✓Solutions
- 1Step 1: Diagnose - Check request headers: Review HTTP request headers. Verify Host header format: SERVICE.REGION.amazonaws.com. Check X-Amz-Date format (ISO8601). Verify X-Amz-Target format.
- 2Step 2: Diagnose - Verify required headers are present: Check Host header exists. Verify X-Amz-Date header exists. Check X-Amz-Target header (for JSON APIs). Verify Content-Type header.
- 3Step 3: Diagnose - Validate header values: Check Host matches service endpoint. Verify X-Amz-Date is valid ISO8601. Check X-Amz-Target matches service operation.
- 4Step 4: Fix - Use AWS SDK or CLI: AWS SDK automatically sets correct headers. AWS CLI handles headers automatically. Avoid manual HTTP requests if possible.
- 5Step 5: Fix - Fix header format manually: Set Host: SERVICE.REGION.amazonaws.com. Set X-Amz-Date: ISO8601 timestamp. Set X-Amz-Target: SERVICE.Operation. Verify header syntax matches AWS requirements.
</>Code Examples
Use AWS CLI (Handles Headers Automatically)
1#!/bin/bash
2# AWS CLI automatically sets correct addressing headers
3echo "=== Using AWS CLI (Recommended) ==="
4echo "AWS CLI handles all addressing headers automatically"
5echo "No manual header configuration needed"
6
7# Example: S3 operation
8aws s3 ls
9
10# Example: DynamoDB operation
11aws dynamodb list-tables
12
13# Example: Lambda operation
14aws lambda list-functions
15
16echo "\n=== Note ==="
17echo "If you must make direct HTTP requests, ensure headers:"
18echo "- Host: SERVICE.REGION.amazonaws.com"
19echo "- X-Amz-Date: ISO8601 timestamp"
20echo "- X-Amz-Target: SERVICE.Operation (for JSON APIs)"
21echo "- Content-Type: application/x-amz-json-1.0 (for JSON APIs)"
22echo "- Authorization: AWS4-HMAC-SHA256 signature"Verify AWS CLI Configuration
1#!/bin/bash
2# Check AWS CLI configuration
3echo "=== AWS CLI Configuration ==="
4aws configure list
5
6# Check region
7echo "\n=== Current Region ==="
8aws configure get region
9
10# Test request (CLI handles headers)
11echo "\n=== Testing Request (Headers Auto-Configured) ==="
12aws sts get-caller-identity
13
14if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
15 echo "✓ Request successful - headers configured correctly"
16else
17 echo "✗ Request failed - check credentials and configuration"
18 echo "AWS CLI should handle headers automatically"
19fiCheck Service Endpoints
1#!/bin/bash
2# Verify service endpoints (for manual HTTP requests)
3SERVICE="dynamodb"
4REGION="us-east-1"
5
6echo "=== Service Endpoint Format ==="
7ENDPOINT="${SERVICE}.${REGION}.amazonaws.com"
8echo "Host header should be: ${ENDPOINT}"
9
10# Check if endpoint is reachable
11echo "\n=== Testing Endpoint ==="
12ping -c 1 ${ENDPOINT} 2>&1 | head -2
13
14echo "\n=== For Manual HTTP Requests ==="
15echo "Required headers:"
16echo "Host: ${ENDPOINT}"
17echo "X-Amz-Date: $(date -u +%Y%m%dT%H%M%SZ)"
18echo "X-Amz-Target: DynamoDB_20120810.ListTables"
19echo "Content-Type: application/x-amz-json-1.0"
20echo ""
21echo "Better: Use AWS CLI or SDK which handles this automatically"↗Related Errors
Provider Information
This error code is specific to AWS services. For more information, refer to the official AWS documentation.