URI Too Long
4xx Client Error
Last updated:
The URL exceeds the maximum length the server is willing to process.
Description
The server is refusing to service the request because the target URI is longer than the server's configured limit. Most commonly triggered by huge query strings (e.g. GET with deeply-nested filter params or multi-select lists). Browsers have their own URL limit too (~2,048 to 100,000 characters depending on browser), so this status is rare.
When to use
Return 414 when you enforce strict URL-length limits (e.g. < 2,048 chars for compatibility with IE-era proxies) and a request exceeds them. The client should switch to POST with the data in the body.
Specification
RFC 9110 §15.5.15
Examples
HTTP/1.1 414 URI Too Long
Content-Type: application/json
{"error":"URI Too Long"}res.status(414).json({ error: "URI Too Long" });w.WriteHeader(http.Status414)
return jsonify({"error": "URI Too Long"}), 414Debug 414 with these tools
Related status codes
Payload Too Large
The request body is larger than the server is willing or able to process.
Bad Request
The server cannot process the request due to a client error (malformed syntax, invalid framing, etc.).
Method Not Allowed
The HTTP method is known but not supported for this specific URL.
Forbidden
The server understood the request and the client is authenticated, but access is refused.
Not Implemented
The server does not support the functionality required to fulfill the request.
Bad Gateway
The server, acting as a gateway or proxy, received an invalid response from the upstream server.
Not Found
The server has not found anything matching the requested URL.