Developer

HTTP Status Code Lookup

Type or pick an HTTP status code to see its name, its 1xx-5xx category, and a short plain-English meaning, from a built-in reference of common codes.

Popular codes
4xx Client Error
404 Not Found

The server can't find the requested resource.

How it works

Type a three-digit code or tap one of the popular buttons. The tool looks it up in a built-in table of the codes you actually run into — the 200s, the redirects, the 400s, and the 500s — and shows the official name alongside a one-line explanation of what it means.

It also tells you the family the code belongs to from its first digit: 1xx is informational, 2xx is success, 3xx is redirection, 4xx is a client-side problem, and 5xx is a server-side one. That grouping alone often tells you whose fault a failing request is.

If you enter a valid three-digit code that isn't in the reference list, you'll still get its category so the number isn't a total mystery. Everything is baked into the page, so there's no lookup call going out — it's instant and works offline.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a 4xx and a 5xx code?

A 4xx means the request itself had a problem — bad syntax, missing auth, a URL that doesn't exist — so the fix is usually on the client side. A 5xx means the server failed while handling an otherwise fine request, so the fix is on the server side.

Is 418 a real status code?

It's real in the sense that it's defined, but it started as an April Fools' joke — "I'm a teapot", from a spec about coffee pots. Some services return it playfully; you'll almost never see it in a serious API.

Why doesn't my code show a description?

The reference covers the common, widely used codes rather than every number ever assigned. If yours is a rarer or vendor-specific code, you'll still see its category from the first digit, just without a written meaning.