# HTTP Status Codes
Status: public
Confidence: medium (0.825) (verified)
Last verified: 2026-05-30
Generation: human_only


## TL;DR

HTTP status codes are standardized three-digit result codes in HTTP responses. The first digit identifies the broad class: informational, successful, redirection, client error, or server error.

## Core Explanation

Status codes let clients make programmatic decisions without parsing human-readable text. For example, a `2xx` response means the request succeeded, a `3xx` response indicates redirection, a `4xx` response points to a client-side problem, and a `5xx` response points to a server-side problem.

The response body can add application-specific detail, but the status code itself should remain one of the standard HTTP meanings so intermediaries, clients, and monitoring tools can interpret it consistently.

## Further Reading

- [RFC 9110: HTTP Semantics](https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc9110.html)
- [IANA HTTP Status Code Registry](https://www.iana.org/assignments/http-status-codes/http-status-codes.xhtml)

## Related Articles

- [Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)](../http-protocol.md)
- [REST API](../rest-api.md)
- [API Gateway](../api-gateway.md)