HTTP Status Codes
Searchable reference of HTTP status codes — 200, 301, 404, 500 and more — explained in plain English.
About HTTP Status Codes
This HTTP status codes reference explains every common response code in plain English. Type a code such as 404 or a word such as redirect, or filter by class to see only 2xx success, 3xx redirection, 4xx client error or 5xx server error codes.
Each entry says what the code means and when a server should send it, so it is useful for web developers building APIs, SEO teams checking redirects and anyone trying to understand an error message such as 403 Forbidden or 500 Internal Server Error. It is free and needs no sign-up.
How to use HTTP Status Codes
- Type a code (e.g. 404) or a word (e.g. redirect).
- Filter by class: 2xx, 3xx, 4xx, 5xx.
- Read the plain-English explanation.
Frequently asked questions
301 or 302 for SEO?
Use 301 (or 308) for permanent moves so search engines transfer ranking to the new URL. Use 302/307 only for temporary changes.
401 vs 403?
401 means “who are you?” — you need to log in. 403 means “I know who you are, but you can’t do this.”
What should an API return for validation errors?
Most APIs use 400 or 422 with a JSON body describing which fields failed.
What does a 404 error mean?
404 Not Found means the server could not find the requested page, often because the link is wrong or the page was removed.
What is status code 400?
400 Bad Request means the server could not understand the request, usually because of invalid syntax or missing data.
What does status code 429 mean?
429 Too Many Requests means you have sent too many requests in a given time and the server is rate-limiting you. Wait and try again later.
People also search for
status codes · status code · status code online · 404 error · 404 error not found · 404 status code · 404 not found · status code 400 · status code 401 · status code 403 · status code 500 · status code 429