A soft 404 returns 200 OK status for a non-existent page. It confuses search engines and should be fixed by returning a proper 404 status code.

HTTP Status Code Reference

A complete, searchable reference of all HTTP response status codes from 1xx to 5xx. Search by code number, name, or description to quickly find what any status code means, what causes it, and how to fix it.

Search Status Codes

Code	Name	Description	Common Cause

What Are HTTP Status Codes?

HTTP status codes are three-digit numbers returned by a web server in response to every request. They tell the client (browser, API consumer, or crawler) whether the request was successful, redirected, or encountered an error. Understanding these codes is essential for web development, DNS troubleshooting, and network administration.

Status codes are defined in RFC 9110 (HTTP Semantics) and are grouped into five classes based on the first digit. When you access a website, your browser typically receives a 200 OK response, but redirects, errors, and other codes happen constantly behind the scenes.

Status Code Classes Overview

Class	Range	Meaning	Example
1xx	100-199	Informational — request received, processing continues	100 Continue, 101 Switching Protocols
2xx	200-299	Success — request received, understood, accepted	200 OK, 201 Created, 204 No Content
3xx	300-399	Redirection — further action needed to complete request	301 Moved, 302 Found, 304 Not Modified
4xx	400-499	Client Error — request contains bad syntax or cannot be fulfilled	400 Bad Request, 404 Not Found, 429 Too Many
5xx	500-599	Server Error — server failed to fulfill a valid request	500 Internal Error, 502 Bad Gateway, 503 Unavailable

Pro Tip: When debugging web issues, the status code is your first clue. A 4xx error means the problem is on the client side (wrong URL, missing authentication, bad request format). A 5xx error means the server itself has a problem. Use your browser's Developer Tools (F12 → Network tab) to see status codes for every request, or use our Port Checker to verify the server is even reachable.

Most Common HTTP Status Codes

While there are dozens of defined codes, these are the ones you'll encounter most frequently in everyday web browsing and development:

Code	Name	When You See It	What To Do
200	OK	Everything worked correctly	Nothing — this is the expected response
301	Moved Permanently	Page URL has changed permanently	Update bookmarks/links to new URL
302	Found	Temporary redirect to another URL	Follow the redirect; original URL still valid
304	Not Modified	Browser cache is still valid	Nothing — saves bandwidth
400	Bad Request	Server couldn't understand your request	Check URL format, parameters, and headers
401	Unauthorized	Authentication required or failed	Provide valid credentials or API key
403	Forbidden	Server refuses access	Check permissions; you may need different access level
404	Not Found	Page doesn't exist at this URL	Check for typos; page may have been removed
500	Internal Server Error	Something broke on the server	Try again later; server admin needs to investigate
502	Bad Gateway	Proxy/load balancer got bad response	Try again; backend server may be restarting
503	Service Unavailable	Server is overloaded or in maintenance	Wait and retry; check server status page

HTTP Status Codes and Network Troubleshooting

Status codes are closely related to network issues you might troubleshoot with other tools:

502/504 errors — Often caused by upstream server issues. Check if the server is reachable with a Ping Test and verify DNS resolution.
ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED — Not an HTTP code but a DNS failure. The domain couldn't be resolved to an IP.
ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED — The server is not listening on the requested port. Check with our Port Checker.
ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR — TLS handshake failed. Verify the certificate with our SSL Certificate Checker.
301/302 redirect chains — Multiple redirects add latency. Test redirect chains with our Response Time Checker.

If you're managing a home network and getting errors accessing your router's admin panel, the issue is typically a connection problem rather than an HTTP error. Verify your device is connected and your gateway is configured correctly.

Note: Some servers return incorrect or misleading status codes. A server might return 200 OK for a "page not found" page (soft 404), or return 403 Forbidden when the real issue is a misconfigured server. Always look at the actual response body and headers, not just the status code. Use browser DevTools or curl -v to see the full response.

Status Codes for SEO

Search engine crawlers pay close attention to HTTP status codes when indexing your website:

200 OK — Page is indexed normally.
301 Redirect — Link equity passes to the new URL. Use for permanent URL changes.
302 Redirect — Temporary; search engines may index either URL. Use sparingly.
404 Not Found — Page is removed from the index. Too many 404s can hurt crawl budget.
410 Gone — Tells crawlers the content is intentionally removed permanently.
503 Unavailable — Signals temporary downtime; crawlers will retry later without penalty.
5xx Errors — Persistent 5xx responses cause crawlers to reduce crawl frequency.

Checking Status Codes from Command Line

# Check status code with curl
curl -o /dev/null -s -w "%{http_code}" https://example.com

# See full response headers
curl -I https://example.com

# Follow redirects and show each hop
curl -L -s -o /dev/null -w "%{url_effective}\n%{http_code}\n" https://example.com

You can also check if the web server ports are accessible using our Port Checker on ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS), or use a Subnet Calculator to understand your network addressing.

Key Takeaways

HTTP status codes are three-digit responses grouped into five classes: 1xx (info), 2xx (success), 3xx (redirect), 4xx (client error), 5xx (server error).
The most common codes are 200 (OK), 301 (redirect), 404 (not found), and 500 (server error).
4xx errors indicate client-side problems; 5xx errors indicate server-side problems.
Use 301 redirects for permanent URL changes to preserve SEO link equity.
Persistent 5xx errors hurt SEO — crawlers reduce crawl frequency for unreliable sites.
Combine status code analysis with DNS lookups and port checks for complete troubleshooting.

Video: HTTP Status Codes Explained

Related Tools and Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What does HTTP status code 200 mean?

HTTP 200 OK means the request was successful. The server found the requested resource and returned it to the client. This is the standard response for successful web page loads, API calls, and file downloads. If you see 200 in your network logs, everything is working as expected.

What is the difference between 301 and 302 redirects?

A 301 redirect is permanent — it tells browsers and search engines the resource has moved to a new URL forever. A 302 redirect is temporary — the original URL is still valid and should be used in the future. For SEO, 301 redirects pass link authority to the new URL, while 302 redirects may not.

Why am I getting a 403 Forbidden error?

A 403 error means the server understood your request but refuses to authorize it. Common causes include: directory listing disabled, IP address blocked by firewall, file permissions preventing access, or the server requires authentication you haven't provided. Check file permissions and firewall rules.

What causes a 502 Bad Gateway error?

A 502 error means a server acting as a gateway or proxy received an invalid response from an upstream server. This typically happens when a backend application server crashes, is overloaded, or takes too long to respond. It's a server-side issue that the website administrator needs to fix.

How do I fix a 404 Not Found error?

If you're the user: check the URL for typos, try the site's homepage, or use a search engine to find the content. If you're the website owner: set up proper 301 redirects for moved pages, create a custom 404 page, and regularly audit your site for broken links.

What is a soft 404?

A soft 404 is when a server returns a 200 OK status code for a page that doesn't actually exist — typically showing a "page not found" message in the HTML while reporting success in the status code. This confuses search engines and should be fixed by returning a proper 404 status code.

About Tommy N.

Tommy is the founder of RouterHax and a network engineer with 10+ years of experience in home and enterprise networking. He specializes in router configuration, WiFi optimization, and network security. When not writing guides, he's testing the latest mesh WiFi systems and helping readers troubleshoot their home networks.