HTTP 416 Range Not Satisfiable vs 500 Internal Server Error
HTTP 416 (Range Not Satisfiable) is a 4xx Client Error response, while 500 (Internal Server Error) is a 5xx Server Error response. 416 indicates that the server cannot serve the requested byte range. The Range header value is outside the resource's size. In contrast, 500 means that the server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request. A generic catch-all for server-side errors.
Description
The server cannot serve the requested byte range. The Range header value is outside the resource's size.
When You See It
When requesting a byte range beyond the file's actual size.
How to Fix
Check the Content-Range in the response for the actual file size and adjust your Range header.
Description
The server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request. A generic catch-all for server-side errors.
When You See It
When an unhandled exception occurs, a database connection fails, or server code has a bug.
How to Fix
Check server logs for the stack trace. Common causes: unhandled exceptions, database errors, misconfigurations.
Key Differences
416 is a 4xx Client Error response, while 500 is a 5xx Server Error response.
HTTP 416: The server cannot serve the requested byte range. The Range header value is outside the resource's size.
HTTP 500: The server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request. A generic catch-all for server-side errors.
You encounter 416 when when requesting a byte range beyond the file's actual size.
You encounter 500 when when an unhandled exception occurs, a database connection fails, or server code has a bug.
When to Use Which
For 416 (Range Not Satisfiable): Check the Content-Range in the response for the actual file size and adjust your Range header. For 500 (Internal Server Error): Check server logs for the stack trace. Common causes: unhandled exceptions, database errors, misconfigurations.