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HTTP Status Codes

Every HTTP status code explained: meaning, when to use it, common causes and fixes, from 100 Continue to 511, plus nginx and Cloudflare codes.

Look up any HTTP status code by its number or by words, such as redirect, not found, rate limit or Cloudflare, and see what it means, when a server should send it, and the usual causes and fixes. The list covers every code in the official IANA registry, from 100 Continue to 511 Network Authentication Required, with the RFC that defines it, plus the unofficial codes you meet in practice: nginx 444 and 499, and Cloudflare 520 to 526.

Filter by class to see all redirects or all server errors, open a code for details, and copy a link straight to one code to share with a colleague.

How to use HTTP Status Codes

  1. Type a code such as 404, a class such as 5xx, or words such as gateway timeout.
  2. Or filter by class: informational, success, redirection, client error, server error.
  3. Open a code to read its meaning and the common causes and fixes.
  4. Copy a link to the code to share it.

Features

  • All IANA-registered status codes with their RFCs
  • Unofficial nginx and Cloudflare codes, clearly marked
  • Search by number, class or words
  • Causes and fixes for common errors
  • Links to individual codes (#404)
  • Works offline once loaded

The five classes

The first digit of a status code tells you what kind of answer it is. Clients that do not know a particular code treat it like the x00 code of its class, so an unknown 4xx is handled like 400 Bad Request.

ClassMeaningCommon examples
1xx InformationalRequest received, still working100 Continue, 101 Switching Protocols, 103 Early Hints
2xx SuccessThe request worked200 OK, 201 Created, 204 No Content, 206 Partial Content
3xx RedirectionLook somewhere else301, 302, 304 Not Modified, 307, 308
4xx Client errorThe request was wrong or not allowed400, 401, 403, 404, 429 Too Many Requests
5xx Server errorThe server failed to answer a valid request500, 502 Bad Gateway, 503, 504 Gateway Timeout

Redirects for SEO: 301, 302, 307 or 308?

Use 301 Moved Permanently, or 308 if the method must stay the same, when a page has moved for good; search engines then pass the old page's ranking to the new address. Use 302 Found or 307 Temporary Redirect for short-term moves such as maintenance or A/B tests, so the original address stays in search results. 303 See Other is the right answer after a form POST, so refreshing does not resubmit the form. Avoid redirect chains: each extra hop slows the page and can lose ranking.

401 or 403? 404 or 410?

401 Unauthorized means the client is not authenticated: log in or send a valid token and try again. 403 Forbidden means the server knows who you are, or does not care, and still refuses: logging in again will not help. Similarly, 404 Not Found says nothing is there, possibly temporarily, while 410 Gone says the page was removed on purpose; search engines drop 410 pages from their index faster. For APIs, 422 Unprocessable Content is common for validation errors and 409 Conflict for edits that clash with the current state.

Debugging 5xx errors

A 500 Internal Server Error is the application's own failure, so the answer is in the server's error log. A 502 Bad Gateway or 504 Gateway Timeout comes from a proxy, such as nginx, a load balancer or Cloudflare, that could not get a good or timely answer from the application behind it: check that the app is running, listening on the configured address, and fast enough. 503 Service Unavailable signals overload or maintenance; send a Retry-After header so clients and search engines know when to come back. Cloudflare's 52x codes say which part of the connection to your origin failed.

Seeing the status code of a page

In Chrome, Edge or Firefox open the developer tools with F12, go to the Network tab and reload the page: the Status column shows each request's code. From a terminal, curl -I followed by the address prints the status line and headers. Server logs record the code of every request, which helps find broken links (404) and failing pages (5xx).

Frequently asked questions

What does 404 mean?

Not Found: the server has nothing at that address. The link may be mistyped or the page deleted or moved without a redirect.

What is the difference between 301 and 302?

301 is a permanent move and transfers search ranking to the new address; 302 is temporary and keeps the old address in search results.

What causes a 502 Bad Gateway?

A proxy or gateway such as nginx or Cloudflare got an invalid response from the server behind it, usually because the application crashed, restarted or is misconfigured.

What does 429 Too Many Requests mean?

You hit a rate limit. Wait for the time in the Retry-After header and send requests more slowly.

Is 418 I'm a teapot real?

It comes from an April Fools' RFC (2324). IANA keeps the number reserved but unused; some sites return it as a joke.

What are Cloudflare 520 to 526 errors?

Unofficial codes Cloudflare returns when it cannot get a proper answer from your origin server: 521 server down, 522 connection timed out, 524 response too slow, 525 and 526 TLS problems.

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