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HTTP 400 Bad Request: What It Means and When You See It

Quick Answer

HTTP 400 Bad Request means the server cannot process the request due to a client error — malformed syntax, invalid request message framing, or deceptive request routing.

Common Causes of HTTP 400

HTTP 400 Bad Request is returned when the server cannot process the request due to client error. Common causes: malformed JSON in the request body (missing closing bracket, trailing comma), wrong Content-Type header (sending JSON with text/plain), missing required query parameters, invalid URL encoding, request headers that are too large (cookie overflow), and HTTP/2 protocol violations. Check the request body format, headers, and URL structure first.

Fixing HTTP 400 Errors

Validate JSON before sending: JSON.parse(body) in JavaScript, json.loads(body) in Python. Check Content-Type matches the body format: application/json for JSON, multipart/form-data for file uploads. Verify all required fields are present and correctly typed. In curl: curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"key":"value"}' URL. If the API returns a 400, read the response body - most APIs include a message or errors field explaining what was wrong.

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