---
title: "305 Use Proxy — what it means and how to fix it"
description: "A deprecated code telling the client to repeat the request through a specific proxy. What causes an HTTP 305, what to try as a visitor, and what to check if it is your own site."
url: https://atoneplace.net/error/305/
site: "At One Place"
---

# HTTP 305 — Use Proxy

**HTTP 305: Use Proxy**

A deprecated code telling the client to repeat the request through a specific proxy.

## What 305 actually means

The server wanted the client to go through the proxy named in the `Location` header. It is deprecated for a good reason: a response that can redirect a browser through an attacker-chosen proxy is a security hole, so browsers never implemented it and modern specifications tell clients to ignore it. If you get one, treat it as an oddity, not an instruction.

## Common causes

- A very old server implementation
- A misconfigured or deliberately hostile intermediary

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

1. Nothing — browsers ignore this code entirely
2. If a tool is trying to act on it, be suspicious; unsolicited proxy instructions are a known attack pattern

## If it's your site

1. Never send this; configure proxies through PAC files, system settings or WPAD instead
2. Clients should ignore 305 responses rather than following them

## Reference

- **Status code:** 305
- **Reason phrase:** Use Proxy
- **Category:** 3xx — Redirection
- **Defined in:** RFC 9110 §15.4.6

## Common questions

### What does HTTP 305 mean?

A deprecated code telling the client to repeat the request through a specific proxy. The server wanted the client to go through the proxy named in the `Location` header. It is deprecated for a good reason: a response that can redirect a browser through an attacker-chosen proxy is a security hole, so browsers never implemented it and modern specifications tell clients to ignore it.

### How do I fix a 305 error?

Nothing — browsers ignore this code entirely

### Is 305 a client error or a server error?

305 is in the 3xx range, which means redirection. It is not an error at all.

## Related pages

- [301 Moved Permanently](https://atoneplace.net/error/301/)
- [302 Found](https://atoneplace.net/error/302/)
- [304 Not Modified](https://atoneplace.net/error/304/)
- [307 Temporary Redirect](https://atoneplace.net/error/307/)
- [308 Permanent Redirect](https://atoneplace.net/error/308/)
- [303 See Other](https://atoneplace.net/error/303/)
- [300 Multiple Choices](https://atoneplace.net/error/300/)
- [306 (Unused)](https://atoneplace.net/error/306/)

## 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)