HTTP Status Checker
Check HTTP status codes, response times, and headers
Enter a web address to begin.
Current Result
Enter a URL and click "Check" to see the results
Recent Checks
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About HTTP Status Checker
The HTTP Status Checker is a free online tool that lets you instantly check the HTTP status code returned by any URL. Every time a browser or application makes a request to a web server, the server responds with a three-digit HTTP status code that indicates whether the request succeeded, was redirected, or encountered an error. Understanding these codes is fundamental for web development, SEO auditing, and server monitoring.
This tool sends a request to the target URL and displays the status code, status text, response time, redirect information, and response headers in a clean, easy-to-read format. It maintains a history of your recent checks so you can compare results over time or quickly re-test previously checked URLs without re-entering them.
Use it as an SEO specialist to find broken links after a site migration, as a developer to confirm an API endpoint answers 401 rather than 500 for a bad token, or as a system administrator to see whether a server is answering at all. Quick-test buttons for popular endpoints, including custom HttpBin status codes, let you verify behavior without typing a single URL.
Key Features
- Check the HTTP status code of any public URL in real time
- View status text, response time, and OK/error status at a glance
- Detect redirects and display the final destination URL
- Inspect response headers returned by the server
- Maintain a history of recent checks for easy comparison and re-testing
- Quick-test buttons for Google, GitHub, Example.com, and HttpBin (200, 404, 500)
- Automatic URL normalization that adds https:// when no protocol is specified
- Color-coded status indicators: green for success, yellow for redirects, red for errors
- Fully responsive layout with dark mode support
- Up to 50 lookups per 15 minutes per visitor
How to Use
- Enter a URL: Type or paste the web address you want to check into the input field. You can omit https:// and the tool will add it automatically.
- Click Check: Press the button or hit Enter to send the request. The tool will display the status code, response time, and additional details.
- Review the result: Examine the status code, status text, and description to understand what the server returned. Redirect information and response headers are also shown when available.
- Use quick tests: Click any of the pre-loaded URL buttons (including specific HttpBin status codes) to quickly see example responses without typing.
- Browse history: Your recent checks appear in the sidebar. Click any entry to reload its results instantly.
Use Cases
- SEO auditing: Identify broken links (404), incorrect redirects (302 vs 301), and server errors (500) that negatively impact search engine rankings.
- API debugging: Verify that your API endpoints return the expected status codes for success, validation errors, authentication failures, and rate limiting.
- Server monitoring: Quickly check whether your website or web application is returning 200 OK or experiencing downtime with 502/503 errors.
- Redirect validation: Confirm that old URLs properly redirect to new ones using permanent (301) or temporary (302/307) redirects after a site migration.
- Performance benchmarking: Compare response times across different URLs, servers, or geographic regions to identify latency bottlenecks.
- Security testing: Check whether protected endpoints correctly return 401 Unauthorized or 403 Forbidden for unauthenticated requests.
- Content delivery verification: Ensure CDN-served resources return proper status codes and are not blocked or misconfigured.
- Competitor analysis: Inspect how competitor websites handle redirects, error pages, and authentication to inform your own architecture decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 301 and 302 redirects?
A 301 redirect indicates a permanent move and tells search engines to transfer ranking authority to the new URL. A 302 redirect is temporary and instructs search engines to keep the original URL in their index.
Why does my URL show a different status than expected?
Status codes can vary based on geographic location, user agent, authentication state, and server-side rules. Our tool sends a generic request which may differ from what a logged-in browser session returns.
Can I check internal or localhost URLs?
No. The tool is for publicly accessible URLs; internal network addresses and localhost are not accepted.
Does the tool follow redirects?
Yes. The checker follows redirects and shows the final status code and the final destination URL. To see every hop, use a redirect checker.
Tips & Best Practices
- Use 301 for permanent moves: When migrating pages to new URLs, always use 301 redirects to preserve SEO link equity and avoid duplicate content issues.
- Fix 404 errors promptly: Broken links hurt user experience and search rankings. Regularly audit your site for 404 errors and either restore content or set up redirects.
- Monitor response times: Consistently high response times can indicate server overload, misconfigured databases, or network issues that need attention.
- Return proper error codes: Use 400 for bad requests, 401 for authentication failures, 403 for authorization issues, and 404 for missing resources instead of generic 500 errors.
- Avoid redirect chains: Multiple chained redirects slow down page loads and can confuse search engine crawlers. Keep redirect paths to a single hop whenever possible.
- Test after deployments: Always verify that key URLs return the expected status codes after deploying changes to catch misconfigurations early.