HTTP Status Code Reference
Private by design — runs entirely in your browser
Look up any HTTP status code and see its meaning, category, and RFC reference. Toova covers every standard code from 100 to 599 plus common non-standard ones used by CDNs and platforms — all explained in plain English, in your browser.
What status codes mean
1xx is informational (rare). 2xx is success — 200 OK, 201 Created, 204 No Content. 3xx is redirection — 301 permanent, 302 temporary, 304 cached. 4xx is client error — 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 403 Forbidden, 404 Not Found, 429 Too Many Requests. 5xx is server error — 500 Internal Server Error, 502 Bad Gateway, 503 Service Unavailable, 504 Gateway Timeout. Toova explains each one in context, with a link to the RFC that defines it.
Common gotchas
302 vs 301 matters for SEO and link integrity. 401 means the request lacks credentials; 403 means the credentials are valid but the resource is forbidden. 429 is what to return when rate-limited, but a lot of platforms incorrectly send 503. Toova surfaces these distinctions with examples and pointers to the right code for common situations — useful when designing APIs or debugging unexpected responses.
Local-only
The lookup runs entirely in your browser — all status code definitions are bundled with the page. There is no API call, no rate limit, no outage. The page works offline after first load, which makes Toova a reliable reference when you are deep in a debugging session and other services are flaky.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between 401 and 403?
- 401 Unauthorized means the request lacks valid authentication credentials. 403 Forbidden means the credentials are valid but the resource is off-limits for that user. Many APIs use the names interchangeably, but the spec is clear: 401 if not authenticated, 403 if authenticated but not allowed.
- When should I use 301 vs 302?
- 301 Moved Permanently tells search engines and clients that the new URL is canonical — link equity and bookmarks should update. 302 Found is temporary, so the original URL stays canonical. For migrations and rebrands, use 301.
- Is 429 standard?
- Yes — RFC 6585 defines 429 Too Many Requests for rate limiting. Many platforms still use 503 Service Unavailable for the same purpose, which is technically wrong because 5xx implies a server problem rather than client behavior.
- What about non-standard codes like 418?
- 418 I'm a teapot is from RFC 2324, an April Fools spec. It is real in the sense that it appears in code, but it is not meant for production. Toova lists these for completeness with a note.
- Is any data sent to a server?
- No. The lookup is entirely client-side.