Introduction to HTTP Access

ESX/ESXi and vCenter Server systems support file access using HTTP and secure HTTP. You can use HTTP/HTTPS for the following kinds of access.

■	Datastore access on ESX/ESXi and vCenter Server systems.

■	ESX/ESXi configuration and log file access on ESX/ESXi systems.

■	Update bundle access on ESX/ESXi systems.

You can use the HTTP methods GET, HEAD, PUT, and DELETE to access files. The URL of the HTTP/HTTPS request must contain an embedded keyword that specifies the type of access. HTTP Access to vSphere Servers shows the server access types with the corresponding URL keyword and HTTP methods.

HTTP Access to vSphere Servers 

Server Access	URL Keyword	HTTP Method or Methods
Datastore	folder	GET, HEAD, PUT, DELETE
ESX/ESXi configuration file	host	GET, HEAD, PUT (See HTTP Host Access (/host URL) for the specific methods supported for each file type.)
Update bundle	tmp	PUT

Use the PUT method to create new files or overwrite existing files. You can create a subdirectory by using a URL that is consistent with the supported top-level directories. You cannot create datastores or datacenters because the URL must refer to a valid datacenter or datastore.

You can use a Web browser to browse and download files. You cannot use a Web browser to post or delete files.