Client error
403 403 Forbidden
The server understood the request and refuses to fulfil it. Authentication would not help; you are simply not allowed.
Common causes
- Bot protection or a WAF rule blocking automated requests — the usual reason an external checker gets a 403 from a site that works fine in a browser.
- Wrong file permissions or a missing index file with directory listing disabled.
- Country or IP blocking.
How to fix it
- If a checker sees 403 but your browser works, the site is up and defended. Nothing is broken.
- On your own server, check file ownership, permissions and any deny rules in .htaccess or the vhost.
See what a site actually returns
Run a live check and read the real status code, headers and timings.
Other status codes
200 OK
201 Created
204 No Content
206 Partial Content
301 Moved Permanently
302 Found
303 See Other
304 Not Modified
307 Temporary Redirect
308 Permanent Redirect
400 Bad Request
401 Unauthorized
404 Not Found
405 Method Not Allowed
408 Request Timeout
410 Gone
413 Payload Too Large
418 I'm a Teapot
429 Too Many Requests
451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons
500 Internal Server Error
501 Not Implemented
502 Bad Gateway
503 Service Unavailable
504 Gateway Timeout
507 Insufficient Storage
508 Loop Detected
521 Web Server Is Down
522 Connection Timed Out
523 Origin Is Unreachable
525 SSL Handshake Failed