← All status codes
408

Request Timeout

The server timed out waiting for the request. The client took too long to send the full request. Different from a gateway timeout (504) which is about the server being slow.

COMMON CAUSES

Slow client connection
Client started sending a request but stalled
Network issues between client and server

HOW TO FIX IT

Check client-side network connectivity
Reduce request size if possible

What this means for monitoring

Rare in monitoring contexts. If you see 408, there may be network issues between the monitoring probe and your server.

Related status codes

4xx Client Error

400
Bad Request

The server can't process the request because something is wrong with it. Missing required fields, invalid JSON, wrong data types. Check your request body and query parameters.

401
Unauthorized

Authentication is required but was missing or invalid. Despite the name, this is about authentication (who you are), not authorization (what you can do). Check your API key or session.

403
Forbidden

The server understood the request but refuses to authorize it. You're authenticated, but you don't have permission. Unlike 401, re-authenticating won't help.

404
Not Found

The resource doesn't exist at this URL. Either the URL is wrong, the resource was deleted, or it never existed. The most familiar HTTP error code.

405
Method Not Allowed

The HTTP method isn't supported for this URL. You sent a DELETE to an endpoint that only accepts GET and POST. The response includes an Allow header listing valid methods.

409
Conflict

The request conflicts with the current state of the resource. Common with concurrent updates — two people editing the same record, or trying to create a resource that already exists.

410
Gone

The resource existed but has been permanently deleted. Unlike 404, this is deliberate — the server is saying "it was here, it's not anymore, and it's not coming back."

413
Content Too Large

The request body is larger than the server is willing to accept. Common when uploading files that exceed the server's size limit.

415
Unsupported Media Type

The server doesn't support the Content-Type of the request. You sent XML but the endpoint only accepts JSON, or you forgot the Content-Type header entirely.

422
Unprocessable Content

The request is well-formed but the content is invalid. The JSON is valid, but the data doesn't pass validation — missing required fields, values out of range, business rule violations.

429
Too Many Requests

You've hit a rate limit. The server is telling you to slow down. Check the Retry-After header for how long to wait. If you're seeing this in monitoring, your checks might be too frequent.

Get alerted when your endpoints return unexpected status codes.

Larm checks your HTTP endpoints from multiple global locations and alerts you when they return status codes outside your expected range.