Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) NetworkingAutomation and ProgrammabilityMedium
A network administrator is troubleshooting an automation script that interacts with a network device's REST API. The script consistently receives an HTTP status code 403. What does this code most likely indicate?
- AThe request was successful, and the server is returning the requested data.
- BThe requested resource could not be found on the server.
- CThe server understands the request but refuses to authorize it.
- DThe server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. The server understands the request but refuses to authorize it.
An HTTP 403 Forbidden status code means the server understood the request but refuses to fulfill it due to insufficient permissions or authorization. This is distinct from a 401 Unauthorized, which typically means authentication failed.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This describes a 200 OK status code, indicating success.
- B. This describes a 404 Not Found status code, meaning the resource does not exist.
- D. This describes a 500 Internal Server Error, indicating a general server-side problem.
HTTP Status Code 403 Forbidden
The HTTP 403 Forbidden status code indicates that the server understood the request but refuses to authorize it. This often means the client does not have the necessary permissions to access the resource.
- Server understood the request.
- Access is denied due to authorization issues.
- Different from 401 Unauthorized (authentication failure).
Memory trick: 400s are CLIENT's FAULT, 500s are SERVER's FAULT.