418 I'm a Teapot

What is HTTP 418?

This status code was originally defined in the Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol (HTCPCP) as an April Fools' joke. A teapot cannot brew coffee, and this code humorously signals that refusal. While not part of the core HTTP standard, it has become a beloved part of internet culture and is implemented as an Easter egg in many web frameworks and servers. It is now preserved in the IANA registry.

Defined in RFC 2324

Common Causes

• Sending a BREW request to a teapot endpoint that is not a coffee pot
• Hitting a deliberate Easter egg endpoint that a developer implemented for fun
• Testing or debugging code that uses 418 as a distinctive, recognizable test response

How to Fix

• Find a coffee pot instead of a teapot. This is not a real error to fix.
• If you see this in production, a developer likely used it as a joke or placeholder status code
• Replace with an appropriate standard status code if used in a production API