HTTP 100 Continue — What It Means

What HTTP status code 100 Continue means, when servers return it, and how to handle it correctly.

Published September 22, 2026

HTTP 100 Continue — The client should continue with its request; the initial part has been received and has not yet been rejected by the server.

Key points

  • Sent before the body of a large request to save bandwidth if the server would reject it based on headers alone
  • Rarely seen directly — most HTTP clients and libraries handle it automatically without exposing it to application code
  • Typically appears paired with a client sending an "Expect: 100-continue" request header
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