Articles/HTTP

HTTP 408 Request Timeout — What It Means

What HTTP status code 408 Request Timeout means, when servers return it, and how to handle it correctly.

Published September 24, 2026

HTTP 408 Request Timeout — The server timed out waiting for the client to send the complete request.

Key points

  • The server gave up waiting for the client to finish sending the request
  • More common with slow or unreliable client connections
  • Some servers simply close the connection instead of sending this response at all
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