Is there any hard boundary on how large files you can upload using http post ?

Question

When uploading files to a web server using HTTP post, are there any restrictions on the client side (for instance in popular browsers or in the HTTP protocol), that sets a hard boundary on how large a file can be uploaded ? If you know of any browser imposed restrictions, it would be nice if you include the browser version and, if possible, whether and/or how the boundary can be configured for that particular browser.

I am using ASP .NET and am aware that I should set maxRequestLength and other settings correctly. I am mostly looking for answers about what restrictions might apply, that are out of my control.

Answer 1

If you specify a hidden field with the name MAX_FILE_SIZE, most browser will obey that limit. The HTTP protocol doesn't impose an limits.

Answer 2

In fact, there isn't, it can be maybe limited by int size - I uploaded about 1.7GB file in IE and in Opera using POST.

Answer 3

There is no limit that I am aware of - however, you will encounter timeout issues in ASP.NET that you may need to deal with. If you use the http upload control, there is a default max of 4MB that you need to override, either in code or in the web.config, but that is a server side issue.