---
title: "103 Early Hints — what it means and how to fix it"
description: "The server sends resource hints early so the browser can start downloading assets before the real response is ready. What causes an HTTP 103, what to try as a visitor, and what to check if it is your own site."
url: https://atoneplace.net/error/103/
site: "At One Place"
---

# HTTP 103 — Early Hints

**HTTP 103: Early Hints**

The server sends resource hints early so the browser can start downloading assets before the real response is ready.

## What 103 actually means

When a server knows a page will need a particular stylesheet or font but needs another 200 ms to build the HTML, it can send a 103 first, carrying `Link` headers with `rel=preload` or `rel=preconnect`. The browser starts fetching those assets immediately, then receives the real 200 later on the same connection. It is a performance optimisation, not an error, and it is supported by Chrome, Firefox and Safari.

## Common causes

- The origin is using early hints to preload critical CSS, fonts or scripts
- A CDN such as Cloudflare or Fastly is generating early hints automatically from previous responses

## If you're just trying to view the page

1. Nothing — this makes pages load faster and is invisible in normal browsing
2. If a developer tool shows a 103 followed by a 200 for the same request, that is the intended sequence, not a duplicate

## If it's your site

1. Only hint at assets that are genuinely needed on every render; wrong hints waste bandwidth and can slow the page down
2. Requires HTTP/2 or HTTP/1.1 with a client that tolerates interim responses — some old proxies drop or choke on them
3. Do not put anything in a 103 that the final response might contradict; the hints are advisory and cannot be retracted

## Reference

- **Status code:** 103
- **Reason phrase:** Early Hints
- **Category:** 1xx — Informational
- **Defined in:** RFC 8297

## Common questions

### What does HTTP 103 mean?

The server sends resource hints early so the browser can start downloading assets before the real response is ready. When a server knows a page will need a particular stylesheet or font but needs another 200 ms to build the HTML, it can send a 103 first, carrying `Link` headers with `rel=preload` or `rel=preconnect`. The browser starts fetching those assets immediately, then receives the real 200 later on the same connection.

### How do I fix a 103 error?

Nothing — this makes pages load faster and is invisible in normal browsing

### Is 103 a client error or a server error?

103 is in the 1xx range, which means informational. It is not an error at all.

## Related pages

- [101 Switching Protocols](https://atoneplace.net/error/101/)
- [100 Continue](https://atoneplace.net/error/100/)
- [102 Processing](https://atoneplace.net/error/102/)
- [104 Upload Resumption Supported](https://atoneplace.net/error/104/)

## Sources

- Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Status Code Registry — IANA (https://www.iana.org/assignments/http-status-codes/)
- RFC 9110: HTTP Semantics — IETF (https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110.html)