Understanding the ‘408 Request Timeout’ Error: Causes and Solutions

The 408 Request Timeout error is an HTTP status code that means the request you sent to the website server—e.g., a request to load a web page—took longer than the website’s server was prepared to wait. In other words, your connection with the website “timed out.”

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How to Fix the 408 Request Timeout Error

1. Retry the web page by selecting the refresh button or trying theURL from the address bar again. Many times a slow connection causes a delay that prompts the 408 Request Timeout error, and this is often only temporary. Trying the page again will typically be successful.
   If the error appears during the checkout process at an online merchant, duplicate attempts to check out may end up creating several orders—and repeated charges! Most merchants protect against these errors, but some smaller ones may not.
2. Your internet connection could force page-load delays. Visit another website likeGoogle orYahoo . If the pages load as fast as you’re used to seeing them load, the problem prompting the timeout error is probably with the website.
3. If all websites are running slow, however, your internet connection may be adversely affected. Run aninternet speed test tobenchmark your current bandwidth, or contact yourInternet Service Provider for technical support.
4. Come back later. This is a common error message on very popular websites when a huge increase in traffic by visitors (that’s you!) is overwhelming the servers. As visitors leave the website, the chances of a successful page load for you increases.
5. Contact the webmaster or another site contact about the error message.
   The webmaster of most websites can be reached by email if you write to webmaster@_website.co m_ , replacing_website.com_ with the actual website name. Next, try replacing the first part with_help, contact,_ or_admin_ .

408 Request Timeout Errors

These error messages are often customized by each website, especially very large ones, so this error may present itself in more ways than these common ones:

• 408: Request Timeout
• HTTP Error 408 - Request Timeout
• The Request Has Timed Out

The error displays inside the internet browser window, just as web pages do.

Some websites simply terminate the connection without displaying this error. So, it’s possible for this error to be what_should_ display—i.e., a timeout is the reason for the error, even if the server doesn’t indicate that fact.

Errors Like 408 Request Timeout

The following messages are also client-side errors and so are somewhat related to the 408 Request Timeout error: 400 Bad Request , 401 Unauthorized , 403 Forbidden , and 404 Not Found .

Several_server-side_ HTTP status codes occasionally pop up, including500 Internal Server Error . See all of them in our HTTP Status Code Errors list.

FAQ

• What do HTTP and HTTPS mean?
  HyperText Transfer Protocol , or HTTP, is a network protocol that allows you to open links and navigate to a page on the web. HTTPS is similar to HTTP, except that its ‘S’ stands for secure, as it supplies an encrypted tunnel port for online data transfer that’s safer than HTTP, which uses plain text for data transfer.
• What is a server?
  A server can be any computer that’s designed to deliver data upon a request from another computer via the internet or local network. Some ofthe most common servers are web servers that allow access to web pages over the internet through a web browser. There are many types of servers, however, including file servers used to store data for localized intranet networks.

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