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REST API BEST PRACTISES #4

16 Common REST API Status Code Mistakes to Avoid in 2025

Did you know 70+% API bugs come from misused status codes?

8 min readFeb 26, 2025

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Photo by Eliobed Suarez on Unsplash

I messed up this week. We’re building a REST API, and a user clicks “Generate Report.

It’s a big task — takes a while — so I send back a 200 OK with a “Hold on, it’s coming!” message.

Done, right? Nope. My junior dev smirks and says, “Shouldn’t that be 202 Accepted since it’s still processing?

Wait… what? I flip open RFC 7231, Section 6.3.3, and — yep — he’s got me! 😅.

That got me thinking: How many other status codes are we using wrong? Turns out, a lot.

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Javarevisited
Javarevisited

Published in Javarevisited

A humble place to learn Java and Programming better.

Sivaram Rasathurai
Sivaram Rasathurai

Written by Sivaram Rasathurai

ATL @Sysco | Architect of Oh Taxi App | 3.6M+ Impressions & 6K+ SO Reps with 100+ java and 100+ python Tips : https://buymeacoffee.com/rcvaram

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