423 Locked

What does 423 Locked mean?

The resource you are trying to change is locked. It belongs to the 4xx Client Error class, which means the request contains bad syntax or cannot be fulfilled. Something about the request needs to change.

When do APIs return 423?

Defined for WebDAV, where a client can take a lock on a file before editing it. Outside WebDAV, some APIs borrow the code for a record that is being edited by someone else, or for an account that has been locked after too many failed logins.

How to fix a 423 Locked

Find out who holds the lock; the response body usually says. In WebDAV, send the lock token you were given in an If header, or wait for the lock to time out. For an API that uses 423 for a locked account, the way out is whatever unlock process its documentation describes — retrying will not help.

Reproduce a 423 response

The fastest way to understand a status code is to trigger one and read the full response. Open the API tester and send a request to https://httpbin.org/status/423 — you will see the 423 status along with every response header the server sent. Comparing those headers against a working request is often what reveals the cause.

When you are debugging a real endpoint, check the response headers as carefully as the body, and confirm you are using the right HTTP method for the operation.

Related 4xx status codes

See also

• 409 Conflict — The request conflicts with the current state of the resource.

References

• RFC 4918 — The specification that defines this status code.
• MDN: 423 Locked — MDN's reference page for this status code.