🧠This guide is perfect for beginners learning how to troubleshoot API or website issues based on status codes.
When working with APIs or websites, you may see HTTP status codes like 200, 300, 404, or 500. These codes help us know if the request was successful or if there was a problem.
This guide explains common HTTP status codes and who is responsible for fixing them — like developers, system administrators, security, or DevOps.
ℹ️ 1xx – Informational (No Action Needed)
These codes mean the request was received and is being processed.
| Status Code | Meaning | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | Continue | ✅ No action |
| 101 | Switching Protocols | ✅ No action |
✅ 2xx – Success
Everything is working as expected.
| Status Code | Meaning | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | OK | ✅ No issue |
| 201 | Created | ✅ No issue |
| 204 | No Content | ✅ No issue |
🔁 3xx – Redirection
The request was redirected to another location.
| Status Code | Meaning | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| 301 | Moved Permanently | Developer / SysAdmin |
| 302 | Found (Temporary Redirect) | Developer |
| 304 | Not Modified | Developer |
⚠️ 4xx – Client Error (Client Side Problem)
These errors mean the request was incorrect or not allowed.
| Status Code | Meaning | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| 400 | Bad Request | Developer |
| 401 | Unauthorized | Developer / Security |
| 403 | Forbidden | Security / DevOps |
| 404 | Not Found | Developer |
| 405 | Method Not Allowed | Developer |
| 408 | Request Timeout | Developer / DevOps |
| 429 | Too Many Requests | Developer / DevOps |
🚨 5xx – Server Error (Server Side Problem)
The server could not process the request correctly.
| Status Code | Meaning | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | Internal Server Error | Backend / DevOps |
| 501 | Not Implemented | Developer |
| 502 | Bad Gateway | DevOps / SysAdmin |
| 503 | Service Unavailable | DevOps / SysAdmin |
| 504 | Gateway Timeout | DevOps / SysAdmin |
| 505 | HTTP Version Not Supported | Developer / DevOps |
📌 Summary Table
| Code Range | Type | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| 1xx | Informational | No action |
| 2xx | Success | No action |
| 3xx | Redirection | Developer / SysAdmin |
| 4xx | Client Error | Developer / Security |
| 5xx | Server Error | DevOps / SysAdmin / Backend |
💡 Tips
- Use logs to check exact errors.
- For 4xx errors, review your request code or authentication.
- For 5xx errors, check your server logs and infrastructure.
- Work with your team (developer, security, DevOps) to resolve fast.
📚 Additional References
- Rest API Tutorial – HTTP Status Codes
🔗 https://restapitutorial.com/httpstatuscodes.html
Good for learning status codes in REST APIs. - MDN Web Docs – HTTP response status codes
🔗 https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Status
Comprehensive guide with detailed descriptions and examples. - RFC 7231: HTTP/1.1 Semantics and Content
🔗 https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7231
Official IETF documentation on HTTP methods and status codes. - W3C – Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP/1.1): Status Code Definitions
🔗 https://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2616/rfc2616-sec10.html
Good for deep technical understanding.
✅ Conclusion
Understanding who is responsible for handling each HTTP status code is very important. It helps teams fix issues faster, avoid blame, and improve system reliability. When developers, system admins, and security teams know their roles, they can work together better and make the service more stable and secure.