# Common HTTP Status Codes

The status codes a REST API uses most, 200, 201, 204, 400, 401, 403, 404 and 500, and what each tells the client.

Apprentice · REST API · Updated November 2, 2026

Let's first review the common status codes and their meanings.

There are many HTTP Status codes to choose from, but some are used more frequently than others. This website provides an informative tutorial about REST status codes and what each means: [https://www.restapitutorial.com/httpstatuscodes](https://www.restapitutorial.com/httpstatuscodes).

The following are the most commonly used codes:

- **2xx - Success Codes**
  - **200 - OK:** A generic success code, used after a GET, and after a PUT that returns the updated record
  - **201 - Created:** Used after a POST method was successful
  - **204 - No Content:** Used when the request was successful, but no return content is expected, such as after a DELETE
- **4xx - Client Error (it's YOUR fault)**
  - **400 - Bad Request:** This is a generic client error message stating that something went wrong and the request was malformed
  - **401 - Unauthorized:** This means that the client did not provide the proper credentials: it is NOT logged in
  - **403 - Forbidden:** The client is logged in, but doesn't have permission for this method
  - **404 - Not Found:** This indicates that the requested resource was not found, for example:
    - The client requested an invalid category id
    - The client requested an API path that does not exist
- **5xx - Server Side Error (It's OUR fault)**
  - **500 - Internal Server Error:** Generic server error message
    - We don't usually want to share more information - just let the client know that there was a problem

Learn these eight, and you can read almost any API's answers at a glance.

## Key terms

- [201 Created](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/201-created)
- [400 Bad Request](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/400-bad-request)
- [401 Unauthorized](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/401-unauthorized)
- [403 Forbidden](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/403-forbidden)

Source: https://www.ask-codey.com/lessons/returning-http-status-codes-common-http-status-codes