What is the difference between 401 and 403?

Developer Tools• RFC Standards

HTTP Status Code Directory

Instant searchable directory of all standard IETF/RFC HTTP response status codes with technical causes and debugging solutions.

Static client-side reference lookup.

2002xx Status

OK

The request has succeeded. Standard response for successful HTTP requests.

2012xx Status

Created

The request has succeeded and a new resource has been created.

2042xx Status

No Content

The server successfully processed the request and is not returning any content.

3013xx Status

Moved Permanently

The target resource has been assigned a new permanent URI.

3023xx Status

Found (Temporary Redirect)

The target resource resides temporarily under a different URI.

3043xx Status

Not Modified

Indicates that the resource has not been modified since the version specified by the request headers.

4004xx Status

Bad Request

The server cannot or will not process the request due to something perceived to be a client error.

4014xx Status

Unauthorized

Authentication is required and has failed or has not yet been provided.

4034xx Status

Forbidden

The server understood the request but refuses to authorize it.

4044xx Status

Not Found

The requested resource could not be found but may be available in the future.

4054xx Status

Method Not Allowed

A request method is not supported for the requested resource.

4084xx Status

Request Timeout

The server timed out waiting for the request.

4294xx Status

Too Many Requests

The user has sent too many requests in a given amount of time (Rate limited).

5005xx Status

Internal Server Error

A generic error message, given when an unexpected condition was encountered.

5025xx Status

Bad Gateway

The server was acting as a gateway or proxy and received an invalid response from upstream.

5035xx Status

Service Unavailable

The server cannot handle the request (due to overload or maintenance).

5045xx Status

Gateway Timeout

The server was acting as a gateway or proxy and did not receive a timely response.

How to Use HTTP Status Code Directory & Lookup

Search Code

Type a code number (e.g. 403) or name (e.g. Forbidden).

Inspect Details

Read the official RFC specification, cause, and client vs server responsibility.

Copy Definition

Copy status definitions for documentation or error payloads.

About HTTP Status Code Directory & Lookup

Catalogs all standard RFC 9110, RFC 6585, and RFC 7231 HTTP status codes with semantic definitions and caching behavior.

Supported Formats

HTTP

Operational Limits

•Reference documentation

Key Features

Instant real-time search filter
Categorized by 1xx, 2xx, 3xx, 4xx, 5xx classes
RFC specification citations
Practical debugging advice for each code

Frequently Asked Questions

401 Unauthorized means authentication is required or invalid, whereas 403 Forbidden means the identity is known but lacks required permissions.

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