What it means
The request succeeded and created a new resource. The Location header usually points to it.
Common causes
- POST to a collection created a record
- PUT created a resource at a new URL
How to fix it
As a client or visitor
Read the Location header to get the new resource's URL, or use the returned body if the API includes the created object.
As the site or API owner
Include Location with the new URL and, ideally, the created representation. Do not return 201 when nothing was created; idempotent retries that find an existing item can return 200 or 409.
Example response
HTTP/1.1
HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Date: Tue, 07 Oct 2025 09:30:00 GMT
Server: nginx
Location: /users/42
Content-Type: application/json
{
"id": 42,
"name": "Ada"
}Specification
FAQ
› Is the Location header required with 201?
It is strongly recommended. Without it, clients must guess the new URL from the body.
› What is the difference between 201 and 202?
201 means the resource already exists now. 202 means the request was accepted and will be processed later.