When you interact with a web application, the server sends back an HTTP response to let you know whether your request was successful or something went wrong. These responses include a status code and a short explanation (called the Reason Phrase) that gives insight into how the server handled your request.
Status Line
The first line in every HTTP response is called the Status Line. It gives you three key pieces of info:
- HTTP Version: This tells you which version of HTTP is being used.
- Status Code: A three-digit number showing the outcome of your request.
- Reason Phrase: A short message explaining the status code in human-readable terms.
Since we already covered HTTP Versions in Request Line and Methods, let’s focus on the Status Codes and Reason Phrases here.