HTTP Status Codes

Complete, searchable HTTP status code reference. All 1xx–5xx codes with descriptions and use cases. Free, browser-based.

Runs in your browser
Your data never leaves your browser
Free · No Sign-Up

Examples, details and FAQ Worked examples, how it compares with other tools, and answers to common questions.

Status Code Categories

1xx Informational: Provisional responses — request received, server is still processing.
2xx Success: The request was received, understood, and accepted.
3xx Redirection: Further action must be taken to complete the request.
4xx Client Error: The request contains bad syntax or cannot be fulfilled.
5xx Server Error: The server failed to fulfill a valid request.

Common Status Codes at a Glance

200 OK — Standard success response.
201 Created — New resource created (common in POST/PUT APIs).
204 No Content — Success, no response body (common in DELETE).
301 Moved Permanently — SEO-safe permanent redirect.
400 Bad Request — Client sent malformed data.
401 Unauthorized — Authentication required.
403 Forbidden — Authenticated but not permitted.
404 Not Found — Resource does not exist.
429 Too Many Requests — Rate limit exceeded.
500 Internal Server Error — Unexpected server failure.
503 Service Unavailable — Server down or overloaded.

Choosing a Status Code for an API

Situation	Code
`GET` returns the resource	200
`POST` creates a resource	201, with a `Location` header
Success with no response body (often `DELETE`)	204
Body is not valid JSON or has a syntax error	400
No token, or the token is invalid	401
Valid token, but the user does not have permission	403
The resource does not exist	404
Duplicate, such as an email that is already registered	409
The body parses, but a business rule fails (end date before start date)	422
Rate limit exceeded	429
Unhandled exception	500

401 or 403. 401 means the server does not know who you are; the server that sends 401 must also send a WWW-Authenticate header (RFC 9110 §15.5.2). 403 means the server knows who you are, but you cannot do this. If the server must not reveal that the resource exists, it can send 404 instead of 403 (§15.5.4).

Redirects and the request method. For historical reasons, a browser can change a POST to a GET when it follows a 301 or 302 (§15.4.2). 307 and 308 must keep the method and body. Use 307 or 308 when a form POST must stay a POST.

Headers That Go With a Code

Code	Header	Rule
201	`Location: /api/users/456`	Points to the new resource
401	`WWW-Authenticate: Bearer realm="api"`	Required
405	`Allow: GET, POST`	Required (§15.5.6)
429, 503	`Retry-After: 60`	Optional; seconds or an HTTP date (RFC 6585 §4)
304	—	No body; the client uses its cached copy

Handling Status Codes in JavaScript

fetch() does not reject on 4xx or 5xx. It rejects only on network errors, so check res.ok (true for 200–299) or res.status:

const res = await fetch('/api/orders', { method: 'POST', body });
if (res.status === 401) return redirectToLogin();
if (res.status === 429) {
  const wait = Number(res.headers.get('Retry-After') ?? 60);
  return retryAfter(wait);
}
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}`);
const order = await res.json();

Limits

61 registered codes. The list follows the IANA registry. Codes that only one product uses, such as nginx 499 or Cloudflare 520–526, are not in the list.
Older names for two codes. The list uses 413 Payload Too Large and 422 Unprocessable Entity. RFC 9110 renamed them to Content Too Large and Unprocessable Content.
English only. Names and descriptions are in English on every language version of this page. The search matches the code, the name, or words in the English description.

FAQ

What do the different HTTP status code ranges mean?

1xx = Informational (request received, continuing). 2xx = Success (request completed). 3xx = Redirection (further action needed). 4xx = Client error (bad request, not found, unauthorized). 5xx = Server error (the server failed to handle a valid request).

What is the difference between 301 and 302?

301 Moved Permanently tells browsers and search engines to update their records — the resource has moved for good. 302 Found is a temporary redirect; clients should keep using the original URL for future requests.

When should I use 404 vs 410?

Use 404 Not Found when the resource doesn't exist and you're unsure if it will return. Use 410 Gone when you're certain the resource is permanently removed and will never return — this signals search engines to deindex it.

Why does 429 matter for APIs?

429 Too Many Requests is the standard response for rate limiting. Clients should respect Retry-After headers and implement exponential backoff to avoid hammering the server.

Status codes