HTTP Status Codes with… The Simpsons

Do you know what an HTTP status code is?

HTTP is short for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. If you’ve ever used the internet, then you’ve used HTTP. HTTP status codes are a way of communicating with a web server about the status of a request.

When you type a URL into your browser, it makes a request to that URL. The web server then sends back a response — called an HTTP response — that contains all sorts of information about what happened with your request.

One piece of information in that response is called an HTTP status code. This code tells you how the server responded to your request, and whether or not it was successful (and if not, why).

JUST EAT THE DAMN ORANGES!!!

So without further ado…

HTTP 200 — OK

HTTP status code 200 means that the request you made to the server was successful.

Lenny gives Mr. Burns a thumb up, indicating that everything went smoothly, is working properly and the task requested was completed successfully. Similarly, when a user makes a request to a server, and the server successfully fulfills that request, it sends a 200 status code, indicating that everything is working as expected and the request was successful.

HTTP 301 — Moved Permanently

HTTP status code 301 means that the resource requested has been moved permanently to a new location.

The people of Shelbyville steal the lemon tree from Springfield, they cut it down and moved it to Shelbyville. Now when someone from Springfield tries to find the lemon tree it’s not there, and they’ll be directed to the new location in Shelbyville. Similarly, when a user makes a request to a server for a resource, and that resource has been permanently moved to a new location, the server will respond with a 301 status code and redirect the user to the new location of the resource.

(Actually this image should be 302, the tree came back to Springfield at the end)

HTTP 401 — Unauthorized

HTTP status code 401 means that the user is not authorized to access the requested resource, and needs to provide valid authentication credentials.

Remember the “No Homers allowed” scenes from The Simpsons. Homer doesn’t have the proper credentials (being a friend of the people on the club, having a membership card, password, etc) to prove that he is authorized to enter the club. Similarly, when a user tries to access a resource on the internet, the server will check if the user has the proper credentials to access it, if not it will send a 401 error.

HTTP 403 — Forbidden

HTTP status code 403 means that the server understands the request, but it refuses to authorize it.

When a user makes a request to a server for a resource, and the server understands the request but refuses to authorize it, it will respond with a 403 status code. This is like the forbidden fruit, the server knows what the user is asking for, but it’s not going to give it to them because they don’t have the proper permissions.

HTTP 404 — Not Found

HTTP status code 404 means that the requested resource could not be found on the server.

When a user makes a request to a server for a resource, and the server can’t find that resource, it will respond with a 404 status code. This is like the “Scene Missing” memories of Homer, the resource the user is looking for can’t be found on the server.

HTTP 409 — Conflict

HTTP status code 409 means that there is a conflict when trying to complete a request.

When a user makes a request to a server, and that request makes a conflict (For example, if you’re uploading a file that is older than the one in the server), the server will respond with a 409 status code, indicating that there is a conflict and the request can’t be completed.

HTTP 410 — Gone

HTTP status code 410 means that the requested resource is no longer available and it has been removed permanently.

When a user makes a request to a server for a resource, and the server can’t find the resource because it has been removed permanently, it will respond with a 410 status code.

HTTP 413 — Payload Too Large

HTTP status code 413 means that the request sent by the user is too large and the server can’t process it.

Bart can’t fit through the door of his house, this is similar to what happens when a user makes a request to a server that is too large for the server to handle. The server will respond with a 413 status code, indicating that the request is too large and it can’t be processed.

HTTP 418 — I’m a Teapot

HTTP status code 418 means that the server is acting like a teapot and it’s telling you that it can’t complete the request because it’s a teapot and it’s not capable of completing the request. It’s like a silly joke, it’s not a real error but it’s used for fun. It’s not an official HTTP status code. It was defined in April Fools’ RFC 2324 in 1998 to make fun of the protocol.

HTTP 500 — Internal Server Error

HTTP status code 500 is a server-side error code.

It indicates that the server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request made by the client. This could be due to a variety of reasons such as a bug in the server-side code, a misconfigured server, a problem with the database, or a lack of system resources.

Conclusion

HTTP status codes are a crucial aspect of communication between a client and a server. They provide information about the outcome of a request and indicate whether it was successful or not.

Understanding the meaning of these codes can help developers troubleshoot issues and improve the user experience. In this blog post, we used scenes from The Simpsons to make the concept of HTTP status codes more relatable and easy to understand.

We hope that by using these examples, it has helped you to better understand the different types of HTTP status codes and how they are used in web development. Remember that next time you face an error message, it will be easier to understand what went wrong and how to fix it.

OHHHH!! Before you go….. if you don’t visit us at winkhosting.com… THAT’S A PADDLIN!!