Define a scripted REST API request header

task australia Updated Sep 10, 2026 1 min read t_DefineRESTServiceHeaders.md

Raw file servicenow.com

Define scripted REST API requestheaders to control which headers the API accepts.

Before you begin

There must be a scripted REST API defined before you can create requestheaders.

Role required: web_service_admin

About this task

Procedure

Navigate to All > System Web Services > Scripted REST APIs.
Select a scripted REST API record.
In the Request Headers related list, select New.
Enter a Header name.
Enter a Short description and Example value to explain how to use the header.
Select Submit.
From the Request Headers tab, locate the header name and set Is required to "true" to document this request header as required.

Note: If you set Is required to "true", the scripted REST service doesn't enforce requiring the header. To enforce requiring a header, you must add logic to the scripted REST API resource that rejects requests that are missing the required headers.

What to do next

After defining available headers, associate the headers with a scripted REST resource. For more information, see Associate a request header with a resource.

Parent Topic:Create a scripted REST API

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---
title: Define a scripted REST API request header
description: Define scripted REST API request headers to control which headers the API accepts.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/api-reference/rest-api-explorer/t\_DefineRESTServiceHeaders.html
release: australia
product: REST API Explorer
classification: rest-api-explorer
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Create a scripted REST API, Scripted REST APIs, REST APIs, Web services, API implementation, API implementation and reference]
---

# Define a scripted REST API request header

Define scripted REST API requestheaders to control which headers the API accepts.

## Before you begin

There must be a scripted REST API defined before you can create requestheaders.

Role required: web\_service\_admin

## About this task

The following procedure describes the process for manual definition of a scripted REST API request header. For details about automatically generating request header definitions in non-production instances, see [Automatically generate API request definitions](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/api-reference/rest-api-explorer/autogenerate-api-request-definitions.md).

## Procedure

1. Navigate to **All** &gt; **System Web Services** &gt; **Scripted REST APIs**.

2. Select a scripted REST API record.

3. In the **Request Headers** related list, select **New**.

4. Enter a **Header name**.

5. Enter a **Short description** and **Example value** to explain how to use the header.

6. Select **Submit**.

7. From the Request Headers tab, locate the header name and set **Is required** to "true" to document this request header as required.

**Note:** If you set **Is required** to "true", the scripted REST service doesn't enforce requiring the header. To enforce requiring a header, you must add logic to the scripted REST API resource that rejects requests that are missing the required headers.

## What to do next

After defining available headers, associate the headers with a scripted REST resource. For more information, see [Associate a request header with a resource](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/api-reference/rest-api-explorer/associate-header-api-resource.md).

**Parent Topic:**[Create a scripted REST API](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/api-reference/rest-api-explorer/t_CreateAScriptedRESTService.md)