Your website can sometimes display various error messages that are hard to understand and even harder to get rid of. One such error message is 412 Code Precondition Failed.
Although 412 Error might look menacing at first, there are various methods you can apply to get it fixed.
What is 412 Error Code Precondition Failed
412 Error code, known as Precondition Failed is an HTTP status code indicating that one or more conditions given in the request header are not properly structured and the precondition is not met, so the requested web server declines the request and sends back 412 Error message.
Such a situation occurs in the event that the client sends conditional requests. These are parts of the communication between a client and a server that allow clients to make requests that are processed only after certain conditions are met.
Causes for 412 Error include:
- The client sends an “if-Match” or “If-Unmodified-Since” request and the server determines that the preconditions are not met. When this happens, a 412 Error code message appears.
- The client sends an “If-None-Match” or “If-Modified-Since” request with the same ETag as the current version of the resource.
- The client sends a “Range” request that contains unavailable data, and the server responds with a 412 Error code.
- The client sends a request with an “Expect” header and the server finds that the precondition is not met, it sends back a 412 Error message.
412 Error message is a part of the 4xx status codes indicating that there is an issue in the communication between a server and a requesting client. More specifically, the issue is rooted somewhere on the client side.
Similar status codes include:
- Error 400 Bad Request
- Error 401 Unauthorized
- Error 402 Payment Required
- Error 403 Forbidden
- Error 405 Method Not Allowed
- Error 406 Not Acceptable
- Error 408 Request Timeout
- Error 409 Conflict
How To Fix 412 Error Code Precondition Failed
There are various methods you can apply to fix the 412 Error code.
Method 1: Check Website’s Code
If a client sends incorrect precondition headers, the server might respond with 412 Error. Should this be the case, check your website’s code for any errors, especially the snippets that create the HTTP headers.
Method 2: Check for Outdated Resources
412 Error code might appear in the case the client tries to access an online resource that has been updated with a later version since the client last accessed it.
If this is the case, then you should make sure that there’s a mechanism that keeps clients up to date and prepared for interacting with the resource’s newer versions.
This means that you can use Etags or last-modified-dates to ensure that clients are capable of interacting with the requested resource’s latest version.
Method 3: Check for Caching Proxy Issues
It is possible that the caching proxy interferes with the correct function of the precondition headers and therefore prompts a 412 Error code. Should this be the case, check whether caching proxies are properly set up and configured, so they process correctly the data in precondition headers.
Method 4: Contact your Hosting Provider
Some of the causes prompting the 412 Error code can be caused by issues on the server side. If you have tried everything else and 412 Error is still present on your website, then it is advisable to contact your hosting provider.
Once you do, explain your issue and describe the methods you applied to fix the 412 Precondition Failed message. Then tech support should take care of your problem and give you an insight into how to fix the 412 Error.
Conclusion
412 Error code, known as Precondition Failed is caused by various issues such as problems with the website code, outdated resources, caching proxy issues incorrect HTTP headers, and server-side issues.
However, there are various methods you can apply to get 412 Error fixed and provide your site visitors with a flawless website browsing experience.
