414 URI Too Long
Client Error - URL exceeds server limit
HTTP 414 URI Too Long
What It Means
The HTTP 414 URI Too Long status code indicates that the URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) requested by the client is longer than the server is willing to interpret. This typically happens with excessively long query strings.
URL Length Limits
| Browser/Server | Max URL Length |
|---|---|
| Chrome | ~2MB |
| Firefox | ~65,536 chars |
| Safari | ~80,000 chars |
| Apache (default) | 8,190 chars |
| Nginx (default) | 4,096 chars |
| IIS | 16,384 chars |
Common Causes
- Long query strings: Passing too much data via URL parameters
- Redirect loops: Parameters accumulating through redirects
- Base64 in URLs: Embedding encoded data in query strings
- Many filter options: Complex search/filter combinations
Solutions
# Instead of GET with long query string:
GET /search?ids=1,2,3,4,5,...,1000
# Use POST with body:
POST /search
Content-Type: application/json
{"ids": [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ..., 1000]}Server Configuration
# Nginx - increase buffer sizes
large_client_header_buffers 4 32k;
# Apache - increase URI limit
LimitRequestLine 32768
# IIS (web.config)
<requestLimits maxUrl="32768" />Best Practices
- Keep URLs under 2,000 characters for maximum compatibility
- Use POST for operations with large payloads
- Consider pagination instead of large ID lists
- Store complex filters server-side and reference by ID