ErrorFindly
2012xx SuccessNone

HTTP 201 Created

Defined in RFC 7231

What Does HTTP 201 Mean?

The request has been fulfilled and a new resource has been created as a result.

Common Causes

  1. 1Successful POST request creating a new resource
  2. 2User registration completed
  3. 3New record inserted via API

Impact

  • ⚠New account, post, or item created successfully
  • ⚠No issues — operation completed as expected

Developer Fix

For web developers and application engineers

  1. 1Include Location header pointing to the new resource
  2. 2Return the created resource in the response body
  3. 3Ensure idempotency for retry scenarios

Server Admin Fix

For system administrators and DevOps engineers

  1. 1No action needed for normal 201 responses
  2. 2Monitor creation rates for abuse detection

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use 200 or 201 for POST requests?
Use 201 when the POST creates a new resource. Use 200 when the POST performs an action but doesn't create a new identifiable resource.
Should a 201 include a Location header?
Yes, the Location header should contain the URI of the newly created resource so the client can access it directly.

Related HTTP Status Codes

200OK202Accepted409Conflict

About the Author

Web Infrastructure Team

Verified against official RFC specifications and real-world server configurations. HTTP status code behavior confirmed across Apache, Nginx, and Cloudflare.