Every once in a while, while surfing the internet you might stumble upon an error. Whether it is a 404 Not Found, or another one. These errors are usually frustrating and sometimes confusing.
While both, the HTTP 401 Unauthorized and the 403 Forbidden status codes indicate that access to a resource is restricted, there are distinct differences between them. In this article, we’ll find out exactly what the differences are.
HTTP 401 Unauthorized
The 401 Unauthorized error indicates that the client must authenticate itself to get the requested response. It suggests that the request has not been applied because it lacks valid authentication credentials for the target resource.
Related: What is HTTP Error 401 Unauthorized
There are multiple reasons for the HTTP 401 Unauthorized error to show up. Including, but not limited to:
- Missing Credentials: The client did not provide any credentials.
- Invalid Credentials: The credentials provided are incorrect.
- Expired Credentials: The authentication tokens or session cookies have expired.
Related: What Causes HTTP Error 401 Unauthorized?
HTTP 403 Forbidden
The 403 Forbidden error, on the other hand, means that the server understands the request but refuses to authorize it. This status is used when the server knows the client’s identity but still does not allow access to the resource.
The HTTP 403 Forbidden error does as well have multiple reasons to occur. Some of them are:
- Insufficient Permissions: The client does not have the necessary permissions to access the resource.
- IP Restrictions: The client’s IP address is not allowed to access the resource.
- Account Issues: The user’s account may be suspended or lack the necessary privileges.
HTTP 401 Unauthorized vs. HTTP 403 Forbidden
There are multiple differences between the HTTP 401 Unauthorized error and the HTTP 403 error, as already mentioned. Here is a direct comparison between the HTTP errors in question.
Authentication Requirement
The HTTP 401 Unauthorized error indicates that the request has not been completed because it lacks valid authentication credentials. This means an authentication is required, and the client may repeat the request with valid credentials. Like logging in to their account, for example. On the other hand, the 403 Forbidden error is showing that the server understands the request but refuses to authorize it. Authentication has been provided (or is not required), but the client does not have permission to access the resource. This is the error that might show when a user is trying to access a page that has been restricted to a certain country IP range, for example.
Use Cases
As mentioned before, the 401 error is shown when an authentication is required. Therefore, it appears when such an authentication has not been provided or is not valid. Take for example the card that opens your office door. If you are trying to access the office of a different company, the card reader will surely read the card, but the information it is expecting will not be received, so the access (hopefully) won’t be granted. The reader still requires valid information. The same error ought to appear if a company has tiers of access.
On the other hand, the 403 Forbidden is used when the server knows the client’s identity but does not grant access to the resource. For example, someone who was fired from a company. His card might still be on the database, but its access is refused and they no longer can access the office.
What You Should Do?
The solutions to both errors should be more or less evident by now. If you get the 401 Unauthorized, you ought to provide valid authentication credentials. Typically that means, you ought to log in or provide the correct token.
For the 403 Forbidden error, you can’t just re-authenticate to gain access. As the access is refused specifically to you (or your IP range), you have to request access permissions, contact the website administrator, or use an allowed IP address.
