413
Payload Too Large
The request body exceeds the server's maximum allowed size. The server refuses to process the request because the payload is larger than it is configured to accept.
What does HTTP 413 mean?
The request body exceeds the server's maximum allowed size. The server refuses to process the request because the payload is larger than it is configured to accept.
Common causes
- 1
Uploading a file that exceeds the server's upload size limit (e.g., nginx default is 1MB via client_max_body_size).
- 2
Sending a JSON or form body that is too large, often due to base64-encoded images or large data payloads embedded in the request.
- 3
A reverse proxy or CDN (e.g., Cloudflare) has a lower body size limit than your application server.
How to fix it
- 1
Reduce the payload size. Compress files before uploading, or use multipart uploads for large files instead of sending them in a single request.
- 2
Increase the server's body size limit: client_max_body_size in nginx, LimitRequestBody in Apache, or the equivalent in your application framework.
- 3
Check all layers of your stack — the CDN, load balancer, reverse proxy, and application server each have their own size limits. The lowest one wins.
Monitor for HTTP 413 errors
If your upload endpoint suddenly returns 413 for files that previously worked, a configuration change likely lowered the size limit. Uptrack catches this by monitoring the endpoint's response codes.
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