HTTP 413 — Payload Too Large
4xx Client Error
What it means
The request body exceeds a limit the server imposes.
What to do about it
Raise the limit (client_max_body_size in nginx, upload_max_filesize in PHP), or have the client upload directly to object storage with a pre-signed URL.
Where it sits
413 belongs to the 4xx family: The request contains something the server will not or cannot process. The fix is normally on the client side.
HTTP/1.1 413 Payload Too LargeChecking it yourself
# see the status code and headers only
curl -sI https://example.com/path
# follow redirects and print each hop
curl -sIL -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code} %{url_effective}\n" https://example.com/path
# JavaScript
const r = await fetch(url);
console.log(r.status, r.statusText);How this code behaves
| Cacheable by default | No — caches must not store this response unless explicit cache headers permit it. |
| Safe to retry | No. Retrying an identical request will produce the same result — the request itself must change. |
| Effect on search indexing | No direct effect. |
Returning 413 correctly
# nginx
return 413;
# Express
res.status(413).json({ error: 'Payload Too Large' });
# Go
w.WriteHeader(413)
# Python (Flask)
return jsonify(error='Payload Too Large'), 413;Frequently asked questions
What does HTTP 413 mean?
The request body exceeds a limit the server imposes.
How do I fix a 413 error?
Raise the limit (client_max_body_size in nginx, upload_max_filesize in PHP), or have the client upload directly to object storage with a pre-signed URL.
Is 413 a client or server problem?
A client problem by definition — the request needs to change. That said, a 4xx can still be the server’s fault if it is misconfigured and rejecting valid requests.