HTTP 408 Request Timeout — Meaning, Causes & How to Fix
The server timed out waiting for the request; the client did not produce one in time.
- Code
- 408
- Name
- Request Timeout
- Class
- 4xx Client Error
- Specification
- RFC 9110 §15.5.9
- Cacheable by default
- Only with explicit Cache-Control / Expires
What HTTP 408 means
408 Request Timeout means the client was too slow: the server gave up waiting for the complete request and is closing the connection. It is different from 504, where a gateway waited too long for an upstream server.
Common causes
- Slow or unstable network connections, especially during uploads.
- Idle keep-alive connections that the server closes.
- Very short server read timeouts.
How to fix it
For site owners
- Review the server’s request/header read timeouts.
- For big uploads, consider chunked or resumable uploads.
For visitors & developers
- Retry the request — clients may safely repeat it on a new connection.
- Check your network connection.
SEO impact
Occasional 408s are harmless. Frequent ones in crawl logs suggest the server or network is struggling, which can reduce how much Googlebot crawls.
Example 408 response
HTTP/1.1 408 Request Timeout
Connection: close
Content-Length: 0Related status codes
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Open HTTP Status Codes tool →All status codesFrequently asked questions
What does HTTP 408 mean?
HTTP 408 Request Timeout is a 4xx Client Error status code. The server timed out waiting for the request; the client did not produce one in time.
What is the difference between 408 and 504?
408: the server waited too long for the client. 504: a proxy or gateway waited too long for the upstream server.
Which specification defines 408?
It is defined in RFC 9110 §15.5.9.
Is a 408 response cacheable?
Not by default. A 408 response is only stored by caches when it carries explicit freshness information such as Cache-Control: max-age or Expires.