HTTP Status Code Checker
What A Crawler Is Really Told
This HTTP status code checker asks an address for its headers and shows you what a crawler is told. You get the code, a plain explanation of it, the server behind it, and the headers that decide whether search engines index the page.
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HTTP Status Code Checker
What a crawler really gets back from one address
Public addresses on ports 80 and 443 only. We read the reply headers and stop there, so the page itself is never downloaded.
Ready. Paste an address and press the button.
Why Run An HTTP Status Code Checker
Every request gets a three-digit answer before anything else arrives. That number decides whether a crawler reads the page or walks away.
Your browser hides it. It shows the page, or an error, so the actual code stays out of sight unless you go looking.
This mismatch leads to genuine problems. Because a pretty error page can answer 200, a whole section can look broken to you and perfectly healthy to Google.
Each number carries a meaning somebody agreed on. RFC 9110, which defines the status codes is where those meanings are written down.
The Five Code Families, Explained
Codes starting with 2 mean success, and 200 is the one you want on a live page. Beyond that step, the job is done.
Codes starting with 3 mean a redirect, so the server is pointing somewhere else. Meanwhile 4 means the request was the problem, and 404 leads that group.
Codes starting with 5 mean the server broke. Since those are usually your own code failing, the error log is the first place to look.
The Headers That Decide Indexing
A page can load perfectly and still ask to be left out of search. The X-Robots-Tag header does that quietly, above the HTML.
Nobody sees it in a browser, though. Therefore a page that vanished from results for no visible reason is worth checking here first.
The report shows that header when it exists. It also shows the redirect target, the content type and any HSTS setting.
The Soft 404 Problem
A soft 404 is a missing page that answers 200 and shows a friendly message. Search engines keep the address in the index, crawl it again and again, and eventually decide the whole site handles errors badly. A real 404 or 410 solves it in one line of configuration.
Checking a Status Code in Four Moves
Two steps to the answer, and two more worth taking. Because only the headers come back, the whole thing finishes in about a second.
- 1
Paste the address
Any public page on http or https. The full address works best, protocol included.
- 2
Press the button
We ask the address for its headers and read the reply. The page body is never requested.
- 3
Read the explanation
Fifteen common codes come with a sentence about what they mean in practice, rather than in the specification.
- 4
Follow up if it redirects
A 3xx answer means there is a chain behind it. Then the redirect checker shows every hop.
What This Status Checker Reports
On its own, the code number explains very little. Instead, this checker explains the code and shows the headers around it.
Plain English per code
A 410 and a 404 differ in ways that matter. So each common code arrives with a sentence about its real effect.
Headers a crawler uses
X-Robots-Tag, Cache-Control, Last-Modified and the redirect target all appear. Therefore you see the indexing picture, not just the code.
Only the headers travel
We send a headers-only request and stop there. As a result the page itself never gets downloaded or read.
Encryption reported
The report says whether the connection stayed encrypted, and whether HSTS is on. Each of these carries more weight than most people assume.
Private addresses refused
Internal names and private networks get rejected before any connection opens. Since this runs on our server, that boundary is not optional.
Nothing kept afterwards
The address you type serves one request and then goes. We store no history, and no account exists to attach one to.
Habits Around Status Codes
A status check takes seconds, while an ignored error costs traffic. These six habits catch most of what goes wrong.
- Check after every launch. Test your homepage and two deep pages once a deploy finishes. So a broken route shows up in minutes rather than weeks.
- Serve real 404s. A missing page must answer 404, however friendly the design is. Otherwise search engines keep the dead address alive.
- Send a 410 only when the page is gone for good. A page deleted on purpose deserves 410. Since that code is final, engines drop it faster than they drop a 404.
- Watch for stray 403s. A firewall rule can block crawlers while letting you through. Therefore a page that works for you may be invisible to Google.
- Return 503 during maintenance. It tells crawlers to come back later instead of recording a failure. A Retry-After header makes that message clearer still.
- Test the exact URL rather than how the page looks. Test the exact address that appears in your sitemap. Because a trailing slash can change the answer, the details matter here.
Status Code Traps To Know
Each of these looks fine in a browser window. Yet each one changes what search engines do with your page.
The friendly fake 404
An error page returning 200 keeps dead addresses indexed. So the site looks bigger and thinner than it really is.
A 302 that has quietly stayed live since launch
Temporary redirects left running for years confuse everybody. Rather than wait, switch them to 301 once the move is final.
Blocking the crawler alone
Some firewalls answer 403 to bots and 200 to people. Yet most people spot it only after the visits have dropped.
Status Code Questions Answered
Why does this tool use your server?
A browser cannot read another site's response headers, because the same-origin policy blocks it. So the request goes out from our server instead. We send only the address you typed, and we keep nothing afterwards.
Does checking download my page?
No. We ask for the headers only and close the connection once they arrive. Your bandwidth barely notices, and no content ever reaches us.
What does a 403 mean for SEO?
The server refused to answer that URL. Crawlers treat that as a closed door, so nothing there reaches the index while it lasts. Firewalls and bot rules cause most of them.
When does a 301 beat a 302?
Yes, whenever the move is permanent. A 301 tells engines to transfer the old page's signals, whereas a 302 asks them to keep the old address on file. In short, match the code to your intention.
Can the Denwix checker read a page that needs a login?
You will get a 401 or a 403, which is the honest answer. It is also exactly what a crawler sees, so the result tells you something useful even though the page stays hidden.
How many URLs can I test per day on Denwix?
A modest number per visitor, to keep the tool available for everybody. Ordinary use never reaches it, and we ask for no sign-up either way.
Dig Further With These
A status code often raises the next question. So these three answer it.
Redirect Chain Checker
See every hop between one address and the final page.
Open tool →SSL Checker
Read the live certificate and its remaining days.
Open tool →Robots.txt Validator
Find out whether a crawler is allowed there at all.
Open tool →
Check What Your Server Answers
Paste one address, press the button, and read the real reply. It is free, it takes a second, and no page ever gets downloaded.