ErrorFindly
5085xx Server ErrorHigh

HTTP 508 Loop Detected

Defined in RFC 5842

What Does HTTP 508 Mean?

The server detected an infinite loop while processing the request, typically in WebDAV with depth: infinity operations.

Common Causes

  1. 1Circular symbolic links in WebDAV
  2. 2Infinite loop in server-side bindings
  3. 3Recursive resource references
  4. 4Misconfigured redirect rules creating loops

Impact

  • ⚠Cannot access the resource
  • ⚠Operation aborted due to infinite loop

Developer Fix

For web developers and application engineers

  1. 1Check for circular references in resource structure
  2. 2Avoid depth: infinity requests when possible
  3. 3Implement loop detection in recursive operations

Server Admin Fix

For system administrators and DevOps engineers

  1. 1Find and fix circular symbolic links
  2. 2Review WebDAV binding configurations
  3. 3Implement maximum depth limits
  4. 4Add loop detection logging

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 508 the same as a redirect loop?
Not exactly. While browsers show 'too many redirects' for HTTP redirect loops, 508 is specifically for server-side processing loops, particularly in WebDAV operations with infinite depth.
How do I fix a 508 error?
Identify and break the circular reference — typically a symbolic link loop or recursive binding in WebDAV. Avoid using depth: infinity in requests when possible.

Related HTTP Status Codes

506Variant Also Negotiates500Internal Server Error

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.