How to Fix a 408 Request Timeout Error

HTTP status code starting with 4XX is the client-side error code and 408 request timeout error is one of the client-side errors. In this, we will learn how to fix a 408 request timeout error. Before we dive into the solution let’s understand what does this error actually mean and how does it differ from the 504 bad gateway timeout error.

What does `408 Request Timeout` mean?

A 408 Request Timeout error is an HTTP status code that is returned at the client-side when a server takes a longer time to process any particular request than the allocated timeout. So when this happens, the server terminates the connection and thus returns 408 Request Timeout error.

It is also possible that the server could be misconfigured and result in improper request handling which may also return a 408 Request Timeout error.

408 Request Timeout Indication

408 Request Timeout is displayed
It crashes the active browser window
Browser may respond to the request slowly

Different Ways to See a 408 Request Timeout Error

There are several different ways that you might see a 408 Request Timeout error. These errors may appear differently on different web servers or hosting. Although they show different error message, each one means the same.

“408 Request Time-out”
“408: Request Timeout”
“Request Timeout”
“The Request Has Timed Out”
“HTTP Error 408 – Request Timeout”

How is a `408 Request Timeout` error different from a `504 Gateway Timeout` error?

You may have come across a similar error i.e. 504 Gateway Timeout error. Since these two errors are quite similar, you might be wondering that how it is different from one another.

The 504 Gateway Timeout error occurs while acting as a gateway or proxy. On the other hand, a 408 error is returned when a request to load the web page takes longer than the server was prepared to wait.

Learn how to fix 504 Gateway Timeout error.

According to RFC 2068, the 504 Gateway Timeout and 408 Request Timeout error are defined as follows:504 Gateway Timeout:

The server, while acting as a gateway or proxy, did not receive a timely response from the upstream server it accessed in attempting to complete the request.

408 Request Timeout:

The client did not produce a request within the time that the server was prepared to wait. The client MAY repeat the request without modifications at any later time.

How to Fix a 408 Request Timeout Error

In certain cases, it can be difficult to immediately determine the source of an HTTP error. Although 4xx errors are known to be client-side errors, this doesn’t mean that the server should be completely ruled out as the culprit. Below are a few things you can check, both on the client and server-side in order to try and resolve a 408 error.

Fix a 408 Request Timeout error at client-side

Reload the Web Page

There are instances when this error occurs temporarily at the client-side because of the browser. You can try to reload the web page or even reopen the browser to see if the error gets resolved.

Double check URL

Depending upon the configuration of your web server, the requested URL might throw a 408 request timeout error. Suppose, if you are requesting a URL that requires certain permissions or credentials to get the access, this might trigger a 408 error.

Check your internet connection

If there is any issue with your internet connection or it is running slow then the request made can take too long to complete. As a result, the server’s timeout exceeds and becomes idle that results in 408 request timeout error.

Fix a 408 Request Timeout error at server-side

Check your web server’s timeout settings

Most of the web servers like Apache and Nginx allow website developers to set certain timeout values in the configuration file which enables you to control the time required to certain requests.

So if you are receiving the 408 timeout error, the configured timeout value might be too low. You increase the timeout value and restart the server to see if the issue is resolved.

Apache

If you’re using the Apache web server, you need to check both the .htaccess file and the Apache server config file. Inside these files look for the KeepAliveTimeout or RequestReadTimeout directives. If either of these directives is defined, increase it’s value and reload the webserver.

If you don’t find these directives inside the configuration file, you can add them along with their values and test a few requests by reloading the web server.

NGINX

If you’re using Nginx as a web server, open the nginx.conf file and check for directives like client_body_timeout, client_header_timeoutand keepalive_timeout and then increase their values.

If you don’t find these directives, add them inside the http or server block aongwith their values.

You can test a few requests by increasing their values and reloading the web server.

Check the logs

While investigating any kind of a server error, it’s a good idea to check the error logs. It provides you with a whole lot of information about the error.

Other Fixes

Conclusion

A 408 Request Timeout error is fairly common and can be fixed quite easily most of the time. It simply passes the message on the client-side that the request timed out for the website and that the server has terminated the connection.

I hope you will find the solution on how to fix a 408 Request Timeout Error useful. Do put your views in the comment section below.