421 is Cacheable? Really?

I was probably part of this discussion way back when, but this line in RFC7540 just doesn't parse for me this morning:


A 421 response is cacheable by default, i.e., unless otherwise indicated by the method definition or explicit cache controls (see Section 4.2.2 of [RFC7234]<https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7234#section-4.2.2>).

Given that the cache is almost universally keyed by URL and not by server IP, caching a 421 anywhere in the network seems like the height of idiocy.  The client SHOULD remember not to request that origin on that connection again, which could be seen as a form of caching, but it's not cacheable in the traditional HTTP sense.

Is this an erratum, or is there some sensible reason for this that totally escapes me?

Received on Monday, 18 December 2017 18:58:48 UTC