Web Page Server Codes

Have you ever seen the Server Code pages flash on your screen? So have I! In fact, I got curious as to what those three digit codes really mean. I was surprised to find so many.

Anyway, I decided to make a list and share it with you, so here it is, the entire Web Server Code list. Print this out and save it for when you'll need it.

• 100-199 SRCs provide confirmation that a request was received and is being processed. (silent) 100 This is good. The request was completed and the process can move along.
   
• 101 Request to switch protocols (like from HTTP to FTP) was accepted.
   
• 200-299 SRCs report that requests were performed successfully. (silent)
   
• 200 It simply means all is OK. What the client requested is available
   
• 201 This means a new address was successfully created through a CGI or posting form data.
   
• 202 The client's request was accepted, although not yet acted upon.
   
• 203 The accepted information in the entity header is not from the original server, but from a third party.
   
• 204 There is no content in the requested click. Let's say you click on an image map section not attached to a page. This allows the server to just sit there waiting for another click rather than throwing an error.
   
• 205 This allows the server to reset the content returned by a CGI.
   
• 206 Only partial content is being returned for some reason.
   
• 300-399 Request was not performed, a redirection is occurring (usually silent).
   
• 300 The requested address refers to more than one entity. Depending on how the server is configured, you get an error or a choice of which page you want.
   
• 301 Page has been moved permanently, and the new URL is available. You should be sent there by the server.
   
• 302 Page has been moved temporarily, and the new URL is available. You should be sent there by the server.
   
• 303 This is a "see other" SRC. Data is somewhere else and the GET method is used to retrieve it.
   
• 304 This is a "Not Modified" SRC. If the header in the request asks "If Modified Since", this will return how long it's been since the page was updated.
   
• 305 This tells the server the requested document must be accessed by using the proxy in the Location header (i.e. ftp, http.)
   
• 400-499 Request is incomplete for some reason.
   
• 400 There is a syntax error in the request. It is denied.
   
• 401 The header in your request did not contain the correct authorization codes. You don't get to see what you requested.
   
• 402 Payment is required. Don't worry about this one. It's not in use yet.
   
• 403 You are forbidden to see the document you requested. It can also mean that the server doesn't have the ability to show you what you want to see.
   
• 404 Document not found. The page you want is not on the server nor has it ever been on the server. Most likely you have misspelled the title or used an incorrect capitalization pattern in the URL.
   
• 405 The method you are using to access the file is not allowed.
   
• 406 The page you are requesting exists but you cannot see it because your own system doesn't understand the format the page is configured for.
   
• 407 The request must be authorized before it can take place.
   
• 408 The request timed out. For some reason the server took too much time processing your request. Net congestion is the most likely reason.
   
• 409 Conflict. Too many people wanted the same file at the same time. It glutted the server. Try again.
   
• 410 The page use to be there, but now it's gone.
   
• 411 Your request is missing a Content-Length header.
   
• 412 The page you requested has some sort of pre-condition set up. That means that If something is a certain way, you can have the page. If you get a 412, that condition was not met. Oops.
   
• 413 Too big. What you requested is just too big to process.
   
• 414 The URL you entered is too long. Really. Too long.
   
• 415 The page is an unsupported media type, like a proprietary file made specifically for a certain program..
   
• 500-599 Errors have occurred in the server itself.
   
• 501 What you requested of the server cannot be done by the server. Stop doing that you!
   
• 502 Your server has received errors from the server you are trying to reach. This is better known as the "Bad Gateway" error.
   
• 503 The format or service you are requesting is temporarily unavailable.
   
• 504 The gateway has timed out. This is a lot like the 408 error except the time-out occurred specifically at the gateway of the server.
   
• 505 The HTTP protocol you are asking for is not supported.

So the next time you see that Server Code page flash on your screen, you'll know what that 3 digit number really means.

HAVE FUN!