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HTTP Status Code
202 Accepted
SuccessThe request has been accepted for processing, but the work has not finished yet.
HTTP status code reference, response example, common causes, fixes, and related status codes.
What does HTTP 202 Accepted mean?
HTTP 202 Accepted is a status code sent by a server to indicate the result of an HTTP request.
Status codes help browsers, APIs, apps, and backend systems understand whether a request succeeded, failed, was redirected, or needs additional action.
In practice, HTTP 202 Accepted usually appears when a server responds under specific request, validation, permission, or infrastructure conditions.
Response example
HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
HTTP example
HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
Common causes
- Background job queued
- Async processing started
- Long-running task accepted by server
Common mistakes
- Assuming the status code alone explains the full backend issue
- Ignoring related response headers that add important context
- Treating temporary errors as permanent failures
- Retrying too aggressively without checking the cause
- Debugging the frontend only when the problem is server-side
How browsers and APIs use it
Browsers, APIs, and backend services use HTTP status codes to understand the outcome of a request. Depending on the status code, an application may render content, retry a request, redirect the user, show an error, or trigger a different flow in the client or server.
Developer note
HTTP 202 is useful when the server accepts a job now but completes it later, such as video processing or report generation.
Client-side example
const response = await fetch("/api/reports", { method: "POST" });
if (response.status === 202) {
console.log("Report generation started");
}