HTTP Status Code Checker

HTTP Status Code Checker

Like most people, you've probably looked up a few error codes online when something goes wrong with your computer. But do you know what they mean?

This blog is dedicated to helping you understand those pesky codes and maybe have a little fun while we're at it.

 

What is a status code checker?

A status code checker is a tool that allows you to check the status codes of your website's pages. Status codes are numerical codes that are assigned to each page on a website. These codes indicate whether or not a page is working correctly and can be used to diagnose website issues. This can be useful for troubleshooting website problems or checking to see if a page is accessible.

 

How can a status code checker help you?

A status code is a number that corresponds to an HTTP status message. Web servers return status codes to indicate the status of a requested resource. If you're unsure what a status code is or are curious about how it can be helpful, read on.

For example, a web server might return a status code of 404 (Not Found) if the requested resource cannot be found. Or, a web server might return a status code of 200 (OK) if the requested resource is found and returned to the client.

Status codes can help debug purposes, as they can help you determine whether or not a requested resource is available. Additionally, status codes can help you understand why a particular request might have failed.

 

What are the different types of status codes?

HTTP status codes are standard response codes given by web servers when they receive an HTTP request. There are five main categories of HTTP status codes:

  • 1xx Informational responses
  • 2xx Success
  • 3xx Redirection
  • 4xx Client errors
  • 5xx Server errors let's break down each category:
  • 1xx Informational responses:
    These status codes indicate that the server has received and is processing the request, but no response is ready yet. The most common 1xx status code is 100, which means "continue."
  • 2xx Success:
    These status codes indicate that the server has successfully processed the request and that the requested information is ready. The most common 2xx status code is 200, which means "OK." Other success codes include 201 ("Created") and 202 ("Accepted").
    3xx Redirection: These status codes indicate that the client must take additional action to complete their request. The most common 3xxstatus code is 301, which means "Moved Permanently." 304 ("Not Modified") is also a common redirection code. 4XX Client error: These status codes indicate an error with the request (usually due to a problem with the client). The most common 4XXstatus code is
  • 404, which means "Not Found." Other common client error codes include 400 ("Bad Request"),403 ("Forbidden"), and 409 ("Conflict").
  • 5XX Server error: These status codes indicate an error with the server while processing the request. The most common 5XX status code codes are 500("Internal Server Error") and 503("Service Unavailable").

 

How can you use a status code checker to improve your website?

If you're running a website, keeping an eye on your server's status codes is essential. A status code checker can help monitor your server for any code changes.

Status codes are a valuable tool for website owners and administrators. They can help you troubleshoot website problems, identify potential issues, and understand how your website is used.

The most common status codes are 200 (OK), 301 (Moved Permanently), 302 (Found), 404 (Not Found), and 500 (Internal Server Error).

You can use a status code checker to monitor any changes to these codes on your website. This can help you troubleshoot problems, identify potential issues, and understand how your website is used.

 

What are some of the joint status codes and their meanings?

Status codes are three-digit numbers that provide information about the status of a request. The first digit indicates if the bid was successful, informational, or redirection. The second and third digits indicate the specific status code.

Here are some of the most common status codes and their meanings:

  1. 200 - OK
    This most common status code indicates that the request was successful.
  2. 301 - Moved Permanently
    This status code indicates that the resource has been moved to a new location. The new site is shown in the response headers.
  3. 302 - Found
    This status code is similar to 301 but indicates that the resource is temporarily located at a new location.
  4. 304 - Not Modified
    This status code is returned when the client makes a conditional GET request, and the document has not been modified since the date indicated in the request headers.
  5. 400 - Bad Request
    This status code indicates an error in the request made by the client.
  6. 401 - Unauthorized
    This status code indicates that the client cannot access the resource.
    th=Unauthorized This status code 401 indicates tha51 the client needs to Authenticate first to gain access to see this resource. Which generally means you need some form of login or token to know this resource/page/data.
  7. 403 - Forbidden, The 403 error page, means that your website DOES NOT have permission from either The server or sometimes even YOU as the website admin to see this resource/page/data. 403 errors also sometimes tracking protection lists in Internet Explorer can also cause 403 errors
  8. 404 - Not Found The 404 error message is an HTTP standard response code indicating that although the server on which the website resides could communicate with a client (meaning your web browser), The server could not find what was requested. Perhaps you typed in www.example-error404-website.com instead of www .example-website.com? Sometimes 404 errors can be temporary, just like 502 Bad Gateway Errors, where something within Cloudflare isn't quite right but will correct itself shortly.. or It could be a permanent error meaning whatever resource you were trying to reach on example-website.com doesn't exist and never did!
  9. 410 - Gone Similar to 404, 410 Gone means whatever it is you're looking for on example-website.com used to exist but no longer does!
  10. 500 - Internal Server Error 500 Internal Server Error messages indicate something went wrong with the website's server. That might be because coding for any page(s) on the website resulted in incorrect programming instructions OR an unexpected event on the web host's servers affecting your account, explicitly causing its website's pages not to load. Internal Server Error messages are often caused by plugin or theme functions doing what they are supposed not to do. If switching the default theme does fix the problem, it was likely caused by active theme functions.

If the problem persists after changing themes, check for faulty plugin functions by deactivating all plugins via FTP except for the Cloudflare plugin you'd leave active because if anything IS wrong with Cloudflare settings, the 500 Internal Server Error message will continue showing up...

Suppose there is no change after deactivating ALL PLUGINS. In that case, this usually means there might be something very wrong with the actual SERVER CONFIGURATION OR VERSION OF PHP itself being used, which would require contacting your hosting provider support team because they can make those changes directly on the server itself vs. having to make those changes via FTP...

You might also see similar messages such as Service Temporarily Unavailable (Connection refused), Gateway Timeout (504), lousy gateway (502) too... along with HTTP STATUS CODE ERROR 500.

502 – Bad Gateway Errors sometimes show up randomly when large amounts of incoming traffic strain servers beyond their capacity limits... Designated web host servers have specific CPU cores, memory (RAM) amounts, storage limits, and more, depending on the hosting package plan you signedup for.

So when a bunch more traffic than usual arrives at the same time from around the globe, hitting the same website resources pages all at once causes exceeding those limits like this resulting in the pages of its website loading slower for everyone trying to access them...

When servers reach complete 'load capacity levels, any further requests seeking access get queued up, waiting till CPU cores free themselves up enough to where tolerable waitperson levels resume like this allowing those queued up requests currently waiting to start loading, too, thereby making 502 Bad Gateway Errors go away till next time such thing happens again later down the road...

Everyone running websites knows these things happen, so they expect them, just like everyone knows the weather can include thunderstorms, so they wish them too :) I hope this helped explain things better :)

 

How can you troubleshoot status code errors?

The first step is to identify the error code that is being returned. This will vary depending on the website or application, but most will display an error code when there is a problem. Once you have identified the error code, you can use a search engine to learn more about it and how to fix it.

Many different status codes can be returned, but some of the most common include:

  • 400 – Bad Request
  • 401 – Unauthorized
  • 403 – Forbidden
  • 404 – Not Found
  • 500 – Internal Server Error
  • 502 – Bad Gateway
  • 503 – Service Unavailable


If you are seeing a status code that is not listed here, don't worry. Just perform a search for the specific code you are visiting, and you should be able to find more information on what it means and how to fix it.

 

How can you prevent status code errors?

Several things can cause status code errors, but there are some common causes and preventative measures that you can take to avoid these errors.

One common cause of status code errors is incorrect input. For example, if you enter a URL into a browser that is not formatted correctly, you will receive a status code error. To prevent this, always double-check the URL before you enter it into a browser or other application.

Another common cause of status code errors is server downtime. If your application's server is trying to access is down, you will receive a status code error. To prevent this, always check the server's status before accessing it.

A third common cause of status code errors is an improperly configured firewall. If your firewall is not configured correctly, it can block access to the server that your application is trying to access, causing a status code error. To prevent this, always check the configuration of your firewall before you try to access a server.

 

Conclusion (HTTP Status Code Checker)

From the above analysis, we can conclude that a status code checker is valuable for web admins. It can help you troubleshoot website errors and ensure that your website runs smoothly.