HTTP Status Codes
HTTP 200 OK
OK — the request succeeded and the server returned the expected response
What 200 Means
The 200 error on the HTTP Status Codes indicates ok — the request succeeded and the server returned the expected response. This typically occurs due to standard successful response to a get, post, or head request.
A 200 OK is the most common HTTP status code. It confirms that the server understood the request, processed it, and returned the appropriate content in the response body.
Technical Background
The 200 status code is the standard response for successful HTTP requests. The actual content of the response varies based on the HTTP method: for GET requests, it contains the resource; for POST requests, it contains the result of the action.
While 200 is universally interpreted as success, the response body can still contain application-level error messages. A JSON API returning {"error": true} with a 200 status is technically a successful HTTP exchange, even though the business logic failed.
Common Causes
- Standard successful response to a GET, POST, or HEAD request
- Server processed the request without encountering any errors
- API endpoint returned data matching the query parameters
Typical Scenarios
- A browser navigates to a webpage and the server sends back the complete HTML document
- An API client sends a valid search query and receives a JSON payload with the results
What to Know
A 200 response confirms that the network layer and server processed the request correctly. Distinguishing HTTP-level success from application-level success requires inspecting the response body content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about HTTP 200 error
No. The entire 2xx range indicates success. 201 means a resource was created, 204 means success with no content body, and 206 means only a partial range was returned.