HTTP Status Codes
HTTP 401 — Unauthorized
In HTTP Status Codes, code 401. The official source describes it as “Unauthorized”. Its concrete cause depends on the operation and surrounding message.
Code401
Symbol—
Source confidencehigh
Official definition
Unauthorized
In plain language
In HTTP Status Codes, code 401. The official source describes it as “Unauthorized”. Its concrete cause depends on the operation and surrounding message.
Context to inspect
- The surrounding operation, version and subsystem determine the actual cause.
- The same numeric value can mean something different in another namespace.
Safe first checks
- Confirm which product, protocol or subsystem produced the code.
- Read the full surrounding error message and inspect relevant logs.
- Compare the code with the linked authoritative documentation before changing configuration.
Important context
The surrounding operation, version and subsystem determine the actual cause.