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REST API BEST PRACTISES #4
16 Common REST API Status Code Mistakes to Avoid in 2025
Did you know 70+% API bugs come from misused status codes?
I messed up this week. We’re building a REST API, and a user clicks “Generate Report.”
It’s a big task — takes a while — so I send back a 200 OK with a “Hold on, it’s coming!” message.
Done, right? Nope. My junior dev smirks and says, “Shouldn’t that be 202 Accepted since it’s still processing?”
Wait… what? I flip open RFC 7231, Section 6.3.3, and — yep — he’s got me! 😅.
That got me thinking: How many other status codes are we using wrong? Turns out, a lot.
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So,
Here are 16 status code best practices to keep your API clean. Let’s go🚀
