HTTP status code for “success with errors”?

Question

I\'ve poked around a bit, but I don\'t see an HTTP status code for when a request\'s succeeds, but there is an error after the \"point of no return\".

e.g., Say you

Answer 1

HTTP doesn't have such a status code, but there is a best practice that allows you to handle such situations - redirect the user after a POST operation.

Here is a break down -

1. A POST request tries to modify data on the server
2. If the server fails, it sends a 500 error to indicate failure
3. If the server succeeds, it sends a 302 redirect response
4. The browser then sends a fresh GET request to the server
5. If this fails, you get a 500 error, otherwise you get a 200

So, your use case of 'Saved data but can't retrieve it immediately' translates to a 302 redirect for the initial POST, followed by a 500 for the subsequent GET.

This approach has other advantages - you get rid of the annoying 'Are you sure you want to resubmit the data?' message. Also keeps your back/forward/refresh buttons usable.