All HTTP status codes
4xx Client Error
RFC 9110

400 Bad Request

The server cannot process the request due to malformed syntax or invalid input.

What it means

HTTP 400 Bad Request indicates the server could not understand the request due to invalid syntax, malformed JSON, missing required fields, or invalid query parameters. The client should not retry without modification.

When it's used

Invalid input validation failures, malformed JSON bodies, missing required headers, or schema violations.

Common causes
  • Malformed JSON in request body
  • Invalid query string parameters
  • Missing required fields
  • Schema validation failure
  • Invalid Content-Type header
How to fix it
  • Inspect the response body for validation error details
  • Verify Content-Type matches the body format
  • Validate JSON with a linter before sending
  • Check API documentation for required fields
Example response
HTTP/1.1 400 Bad Request
Content-Type: application/json

{"error":"Invalid email format"}
SEO impact

Should never appear for HTML pages. If a page returns 400, Google will not index it.