HTTP Status Code Reference

Learn about status code ranges

What each range actually means

1xx codes are informational, rarely seen directly, and mean the request was received and processing is continuing. 2xx means success. 3xx means redirection, so further action is needed to complete the request. 4xx means a client error, something was wrong with the request itself. 5xx means a server error, where the server failed to fulfill a request that was actually valid.

A few commonly confused codes

401 vs. 403. 401 Unauthorized actually means "not authenticated," so no valid credentials were provided. 403 Forbidden means "authenticated, but not allowed" to access this resource regardless.

301 vs. 307. 301 is a permanent redirect, and search engines will update their index to point at the new URL. 307 explicitly preserves the original request method, so a POST stays a POST, which older 302 redirects historically didn't guarantee.

404 vs. 410. 404 Not Found means nothing's there right now, and it might come back. 410 Gone means the resource was deliberately and permanently removed.

Common questions

Why do I sometimes see a 200 status with an error message in the body? That's an application choosing to report its own errors inside a technically successful HTTP response, instead of using the status code layer the way HTTP intends. It's a common but debated API design shortcut, not a rule of HTTP itself.

Is a 429 the same as a 503? No. 429 Too Many Requests means you specifically have been rate-limited. 503 Service Unavailable means the server itself is temporarily unable to handle any request, often from overload or maintenance.

What's a "soft 404"? A page that returns a 200 status but actually shows "not found" content to the visitor instead of a real 404. Search engines flag this specifically, since a 200 is supposed to mean the requested resource genuinely exists.