Question 1

What are HTTP status codes and why are they important?

Accepted Answer

HTTP status codes are 3-digit responses from servers indicating request results. Categories: 1xx (informational), 2xx (success), 3xx (redirection), 4xx (client error), 5xx (server error). Purpose: communicate success/failure, enable proper error handling, assist debugging, affect SEO rankings. Common codes: 200 OK (success), 404 Not Found (missing resource), 500 Internal Server Error (server problem). Clients use codes to: retry on 503, cache 200 responses, follow 301 redirects, display error messages. Essential for web APIs, browser behavior, and application logic.

Question 2

What is the difference between 301, 302, 307, and 308 redirects?

Accepted Answer

Redirect codes indicate resource moved: 301 Moved Permanently: permanent redirect, search engines transfer SEO value, browsers cache it. 302 Found (temporary): temporary redirect, search engines keep original URL, may not cache. 307 Temporary Redirect: like 302 but preserves request method (POST stays POST), more explicit about temporary nature. 308 Permanent Redirect: like 301 but preserves request method, newer standard (RFC 7538). Use 301 for: domain changes, HTTPS migration, permanent URL changes. Use 302/307 for: A/B testing, maintenance mode, temporary moves. Modern practice: prefer 307/308 over 302/301 when method preservation matters.

Question 3

What do 4xx client error codes mean and how do I fix them?

Accepted Answer

4xx errors indicate client-side problems: 400 Bad Request: malformed syntax, invalid data. Fix: validate request format. 401 Unauthorized: missing/invalid authentication. Fix: provide credentials. 403 Forbidden: authenticated but not authorized. Fix: check permissions. 404 Not Found: resource doesn't exist. Fix: verify URL, check routes. 405 Method Not Allowed: wrong HTTP method (GET vs POST). Fix: use correct method. 408 Request Timeout: client took too long. Fix: optimize request speed. 429 Too Many Requests: rate limit exceeded. Fix: implement backoff, reduce frequency. Client fixes: validate input, provide auth, check URLs, respect rate limits.

Question 4

What do 5xx server error codes mean and how do I troubleshoot them?

Accepted Answer

5xx errors indicate server-side failures: 500 Internal Server Error: generic error, something broke. Check: server logs, exceptions, database connections. 502 Bad Gateway: upstream server returned invalid response. Check: proxy configuration, upstream server health. 503 Service Unavailable: temporary overload or maintenance. Check: server capacity, recent deploys. 504 Gateway Timeout: upstream server didn't respond in time. Check: upstream performance, timeout settings, database queries. Troubleshooting: check error logs, monitor server resources (CPU, memory), verify dependencies (database, APIs), review recent code changes, check network connectivity. Users should: retry request, wait during maintenance, contact support if persists.

Question 5

How do status codes affect SEO and search engine rankings?

Accepted Answer

Search engines use status codes for crawling decisions: 200 OK: page indexed normally, good. 301 Permanent Redirect: link equity transfers to new URL, search engines update index. 302/307 Temporary: link equity stays with original, doesn't update index. 404 Not Found: page removed from index, some 404s are normal (old content). 410 Gone: stronger signal than 404, permanent removal. 503 Service Unavailable: temporary, search engines retry later, prolonged 503 can cause deindexing. Best practices: use 301 for permanent changes, fix 404s on important pages or redirect them, serve 410 for intentionally removed content, avoid soft 404s (200 status but "not found" content). Monitor crawl errors in Google Search Console.

Question 6

What are some lesser-known but useful HTTP status codes?

Accepted Answer

Useful specialized codes: 206 Partial Content: for range requests, video streaming, resumable downloads. 304 Not Modified: cached version still valid, saves bandwidth. 409 Conflict: request conflicts with resource state, duplicate entry, versioning conflict. 410 Gone: resource permanently deleted (stronger than 404). 418 I'm a teapot: April Fools joke (RFC 2324), actually implemented by some servers. 422 Unprocessable Entity: syntactically correct but semantically invalid data. 451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons: censorship, DMCA takedowns. 429 Too Many Requests: rate limiting, include Retry-After header. Use when: 206 for large files, 409 for optimistic locking, 422 for validation errors, 451 for compliance.

Question 7

How should APIs use status codes for RESTful responses?

Accepted Answer

RESTful API status code conventions: GET success: 200 OK with body, 404 if not found. POST create: 201 Created with Location header, 400 for invalid data, 409 for duplicate. PUT update: 200 OK with body, 204 No Content without body, 404 if doesn't exist. PATCH partial update: 200 OK, 204 No Content. DELETE: 204 No Content, 200 if returning deleted resource, 404 if already gone. Errors: 400 for validation errors, 401 for missing auth, 403 for insufficient permissions, 422 for semantic errors, 500 for server errors. Include error details in response body. Consistent patterns improve API usability.

Question 8

What HTTP status codes should I use for API rate limiting and throttling?

Accepted Answer

Rate limiting status codes: 429 Too Many Requests: standard for rate limit exceeded. Include headers: `Retry-After: 60` (seconds to wait), `X-RateLimit-Limit: 1000` (total allowed), `X-RateLimit-Remaining: 0` (requests left), `X-RateLimit-Reset: 1234567890` (Unix timestamp). Alternative: 503 Service Unavailable with Retry-After (for overload, not just rate limit). Client behavior: respect Retry-After header, implement exponential backoff, reduce request rate. Best practices: return 429 before processing request (fail fast), provide clear error messages, document rate limits, offer different tiers if applicable. Modern APIs use 429 exclusively for rate limiting, making it distinct from server errors.

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