Everyone knows what it looks like when an HTTP error message appears on their screen when attempting to access a website. It is the web server informing you that an issue occurred. It can occasionally be your fault, but more often than not, the site is to blame.
There is an HTTP error code specifically for each kind of issue. A 404 error occurs when you attempt to visit a page that is not there on a website. And, you can ask, what are the most typical HTTP problems that users see when they browse the internet? This article explains the answers to that question.
Here’s a list and explanation of the top five HTTP errors:
HTTP Error 403 (Forbidden)
You need to know the difference between forbidden and unauthorized because 401 and 403 are comparable. This can happen even if there isn’t a login situation. For example, this can occur if you attempt to browse a website’s (forbidden) directory.
To fix an HTTP 403 error, the client should normally:
- Ensure they are using authenticated and valid credentials if necessary.
- Verify that they possess the appropriate authorizations to use the resource.
- Ensure that their IP address is not limited if you suspect IP blocking.
HTTP Error 401 (Unauthorized)
When a user tries to access a restricted page without authorization, a 401 error is displayed. This is usually a result of an unsuccessful login attempt. Typical causes of this mistake include:
Unauthorized Access Without Login: When users attempt to access protected resources without logging in, the server responds with an error code 401 and asks for the user’s login information.
Client Authentication Required: The server raises a 401 error when a client tries to access a resource without providing the necessary credentials, which include a username, password, or authentication token.
Insufficient Credentials: Request headers containing invalid authentication credentials from clients may result in a 401 error. This can create a requirement for using Bearer Tokens, Basic Authentication, or API keys.
Invalid Credentials: If the credentials are expired or invalid, the server will respond with a 401 error and require a new authentication using valid credentials.
Insufficient Permissions: Even with valid credentials, the client’s inability to obtain the required permissions may cause a 401 error. To fix this issue, clients should ask for the necessary authorization to use the resource.
HTTP Error 404 (Not Found)
The 404 error is a common sight for most internet users and is caused by trying to access a resource on a web server that is not available. This typically happens as a result of broken links, incorrectly typed URLs, or webmaster-initiated page relocation or deletion.
Many websites use personalized error pages—some of which are really imaginative—to lessen the effect of broken links. This error can be caused by typos in URLs, incorrect server configurations, or missing resources.
Carefully verifying URLs, ensuring resources exist, updating URLs for moved material, and making server configuration corrections are all necessary to fix HTTP 404 problems.
The user experience and search engine rankings may suffer if 404 errors are not handled properly.
To improve user satisfaction overall, when requested pages are unavailable, customers need to be informed through a dedicated “Not Found” page.
HTTP Error 400 (Bad Request)
When the web server receives a 400 Bad Request error, it usually means that there was a problem with the format or transmission of the client’s request. This error can occur for various reasons. This includes faulty or missing headers, invalid parameters, improper usage of HTTP methods, and malformed queries.
A denial-of-service attack or other potentially dangerous request, such as one with an abnormally long URL, may cause servers to return this error due to security concerns.
Checking for compliance with HTTP standards, ensuring all required headers and parameters are included and formatted, and ensuring the right HTTP method is being used to access resources are the critical steps in fixing such problems.
HTTP Error 500 (Internal Server Error)
An HTTP 500 error indicates an internal issue on a web server, possibly due to programming errors, infrastructure overload, configuration issues, or database problems.
Troubleshooting involves various steps. Some of them are examining server logs for error details, fixing configuration or software bugs, ensuring adequate server resources, and addressing database or application issues.
Final thoughts
Hopefully you learnt about these common server errors and ways to fix them. You can even use this guide as a reference to keep your server functioning at its best.
