1xx Informational

HTTP 101 Switching Protocols

The server is switching protocols as requested by the client via the Upgrade header.

When is 101 used?

  • Upgrading from HTTP to WebSocket
  • Protocol negotiation for real-time communication

How to handle a 101 response

Clients rarely see these directly; HTTP libraries handle them before the final response arrives, and servers usually send them automatically.

Check the status code a URL returns from the command line:

curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" https://example.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What does HTTP 101 mean?

101 Switching Protocols: The server is switching protocols as requested by the client via the Upgrade header.

Is 101 an error?

No. 101 is in the 1xx Informational class. Informational responses: the request was received and processing continues.