HTTP Status Codes
HTTP 202 Accepted
Accepted — the request has been accepted for processing, but is not yet complete
A 202 Accepted status is non-committal, meaning there is no way for the HTTP to later send an asynchronous response indicating the outcome of the request. It is intended for cases where another process or server handles the request, or for batch processing.
Visual summary
A quick reference view of how HTTP 202 works: A payload being placed into a processing queue with an asynchronous receipt returned.
What 202 Means
The shortest useful reading of this status code.
Accepted means the request has been accepted for processing, but is not yet complete.
This status falls into the 2xx class, indicating a successful outcome for the request.
Quick read
Accepted
the request has been accepted for processing, but is not yet complete
Technical Context
How this status behaves without turning the page into a repair guide.
Standard usage
The 202 Accepted status indicates that the request has been accepted for processing, but the processing has not been completed. The request might eventually be acted upon, or it might be disallowed when processing actually takes place.
Technical nuance
This is commonly used in asynchronous architectures where a task is handed off to a background worker or queue. It prevents the client from waiting for a long-running operation to finish.
Related HTTP Codes
Nearby HTTP status codes help clarify how 202 differs inside the same response family.
202
Accepted
the request has been accepted for processing, but is not yet complete
200
OK
the request succeeded and the server returned the expected response
201
Created
the request was successful and a new resource was created
204
No Content
the request was successful but there is no content to return
Common Causes
Asynchronous processing of heavy background tasks
A common condition that triggers a 202 response when the web server evaluates the transaction.
Request queued for later execution by a worker process
A common condition that triggers a 202 response when the web server evaluates the transaction.
Batch processing jobs that take time to validate and finish
A common condition that triggers a 202 response when the web server evaluates the transaction.
Typical Scenarios
An API accepts a request to generate a large PDF report and process it in the background
A user submits a video for transcoding and the server acknowledges receipt immediately
What To Know
A 202 response signifies the start of asynchronous processing. Since the final outcome is not yet known, clients typically use a separate polling endpoint or a webhook to track the progress and final status of the task.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common interpretation questions about HTTP 202.
No, it only means the request was accepted for processing. It could still fail later during actual execution.