---
title: "424 Failed Dependency — what it means and how to fix it"
description: "The request failed because another request it depended on failed first. What causes an HTTP 424, what to try as a visitor, and what to check if it is your own site."
url: https://atoneplace.net/error/424/
site: "At One Place"
---

# HTTP 424 — Failed Dependency

**HTTP 424: Failed Dependency**

The request failed because another request it depended on failed first.

## What 424 actually means

Nothing was wrong with this operation in itself — it simply could not be attempted because a prerequisite step did not succeed. In WebDAV that means one action inside an atomic batch failed, so the rest were abandoned. Outside WebDAV, some APIs use it when a downstream dependency they rely on returned an error, though 502 or 503 usually communicates that better.

## Common causes

- One operation in a WebDAV batch failed, cancelling the others
- A dependent step in a multi-part transaction was rolled back
- An API reporting that a required upstream service failed

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

1. Look for the underlying failure — this error is a consequence, not a cause
2. Retry the whole operation once the original problem is fixed

## If it's your site

1. Report the failing dependency, not just the dependent request; on its own a 424 tells the client nothing actionable
2. For upstream service failures, prefer 502 or 503 — they are better understood and carry retry semantics
3. In batch APIs, consider 207 with per-item results so partial success is visible

## Reference

- **Status code:** 424
- **Reason phrase:** Failed Dependency
- **Category:** 4xx — Client Error
- **Defined in:** RFC 4918 §11.4

## Common questions

### What does HTTP 424 mean?

The request failed because another request it depended on failed first. Nothing was wrong with this operation in itself — it simply could not be attempted because a prerequisite step did not succeed. In WebDAV that means one action inside an atomic batch failed, so the rest were abandoned.

### How do I fix a 424 error?

Look for the underlying failure — this error is a consequence, not a cause

### Is 424 a client error or a server error?

424 is in the 4xx range, which means client error. The request itself was the problem, so retrying it unchanged will usually return the same code.

## Related pages

- [404 Not Found](https://atoneplace.net/error/404/)
- [403 Forbidden](https://atoneplace.net/error/403/)
- [401 Unauthorized](https://atoneplace.net/error/401/)
- [429 Too Many Requests](https://atoneplace.net/error/429/)
- [400 Bad Request](https://atoneplace.net/error/400/)
- [413 Content Too Large](https://atoneplace.net/error/413/)
- [422 Unprocessable Content](https://atoneplace.net/error/422/)
- [405 Method Not Allowed](https://atoneplace.net/error/405/)
- [409 Conflict](https://atoneplace.net/error/409/)
- [415 Unsupported Media Type](https://atoneplace.net/error/415/)
- [408 Request Timeout](https://atoneplace.net/error/408/)
- [410 Gone](https://atoneplace.net/error/410/)

## 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)