Fixing the “411 Length Required” Error (4 Methods)

Your browser will get the requested resources from the server in response to an HTTP request, enabling you to view the requested website. In the event that something goes wrong, you can encounter an HTTP status code such as the “411 Length Required” problem.

Fortunately, the “411 Length Required” problem is simple to resolve. When a content-length header is required by the server but not included in a request, the server returns this HTTP status code. You can simply define a content length to fix this problem.

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The “411 Length Required” status code and its reasons will be discussed in this essay. Then, we’ll demonstrate to you how to find and correct this problem. Let’s get going!

Your browser will make a request to the website’s server each time you click on a link or enter a URL into the address bar. The server will then react by sending the requested data after processing the request.

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The server will also send a status code in the HTTP header, albeit you might not see them. HTTP status codes are only displayed to you by your browser if something went wrong with the request.

A typical HTTP status code, for instance, is 400 bad request. This is a common client-side error that might occur when you write a URL improperly.

HTTP status codes are grouped into five different classes:

• 100s: Informational responses
• 200s: Successful responses
• 300s: Redirection codes
• 400s: Client-side error codes
• 500s: Server-side error codes

Let’s talk about the “411 Length Required” error now that you are aware of HTTP status codes. This is a less frequent mistake, so you could get annoyed when it occurs.

Your request is denied when you receive a “411 Length Required” error because it doesn’t have a content-length header. You won’t be able to access the website without it if a server needs it.

Both the client and the server can include extra information in HTTP headers in an HTTP request and response. As a client-side error, the “411 Length Required” status code indicates that there was an issue with the request header.

The request header can be used to give context about the request, enabling the server to customise its answer. The request header might contain:

The size of the entity-body can also be determined using HTTP headers. You can let the server know the expected size of the request by giving the content-length value. This is designated by an octet-decimal number.

For instance, by choosing Inspect from the context menu when right-clicking on an element, you may see how long the content is on a web page. You should be able to obtain details about the request header under Network.

• Source IP address and port number
• Content-type
• Browser type (user-agent)
• Requested URL

The majority of HTTP requests typically include a content-length header in addition to a request body. Some clients, however, opt not to specify the content length. When conducting chunked transfer encoding, this can be helpful.

A server may occasionally state that a content-length header is necessary. To continue with the request when you get a “411 Length Required” HTTP status code, you’ll probably need to define this value.

You might not be aware of a “411 Length Required” status code on your website because it is a client-side issue. Fortunately, you can keep an eye on the HTTP requests made to your website to guarantee that all users can access your content.

You may check for unsuccessful HTTP requests when you have a Kinsta hosting account right from your MyKinsta dashboard. You can check your website logs to accomplish this.

Open MyKinsta and log in first. then select the website you wish to study by going to Sites. Make sure not to click on your local environment since you can only monitor HTTP requests on your live website:

You will then be taken to the Info page, where you can view the fundamental information about your website. Select the Logs tab from the list on the left:

The error logs for your website will by default be displayed in the log viewer. Select the access.log option from the dropdown menu:

You can see all of the requests made to your website in the access log. The date, time, bytes sent, and user-agent will all be displayed. The HTTP status codes for each request are also shown here:

A 200 code will appear if everything goes according to plan. You can search for a 411 status code in the search bar to uncover potential “411 Length Required” issues.

Despite the fact that you may monitor “411 Length Required” status codes through your website logs, remember that this is a client-side problem.

This indicates that the problem, like each of the 400 HTTP status codes, is the result of erroneous user settings. You must modify the HTTP request in order to resolve the problem. Let’s examine four potential methods for doing this.

You might start by attempting some general fixes for 400 HTTP status codes. You can review the details in your request since the “411 Length Required” problem is a client-side problem. This can guarantee that the browser will comprehend it.

Reviewing the requested URL is a good idea when fixing any 400 status codes. The URL may contain a typo if you manually typed it to access a website. Try inputting the address again to see if it solves the issue.

You can enter the URL and a term into a search engine if you are certain the URL is valid but the error still occurs. For instance, if you Google “site:kinsta.com speed up WooCommerce,” you can find Kinsta’s post on the topic:

This is one simple action you can do because the “411 Length Required” error is a client-side problem. But bear in mind that it might not fix this particular status code. You’ll probably need to set a content-length header for this.

Setting a content-length header is the most straightforward way to address this problem if you get a “411 Length Required” response code. It’s crucial to include the content length because the server specifies that it’s necessary to fulfil the request.

For instance, a POST request to example.com would appear something like this:

You must include a content-length header if you get a “411 Length Required” status code. The quantity here represents the request’s byte count. You may calculate the content length by dividing the number of digits by the number of bytes, which are represented by two hexadecimal digits.

For instance, the hexadecimal value “48656c6c6f21” comprises 12 digits. You can convert this amount to bytes by dividing it by 2, which would result in a content length of 6 bytes.

Here is an example of how a request with a 6 byte content length may appear:

Often, all that is required to fix the “411 Length Required issue” is to identify a content-length header. However, there are some extra steps you can take if you continue to obtain this status code.

Your browser saves certain information when you first visit a website. This might result in a “411 Length Required” error even after you specify a content-length header. Try clearing the cache in your browser to get rid of the notice.

The “411 Length Required” problem can also be resolved by disabling browser extensions. Sometimes certain extensions can obstruct your browser, preventing it from processing requests. You might think about uninstalling any recent extensions you installed.

This procedure will be identical to cleaning your browser’s cache if you’re using Google Chrome. Locate the menu icon and choose More Tools > Extensions first:

Locate the extension you want to delete from your list of extensions. Using the slider, you can either fully remove them or just turn them off:

When a server rejects your HTTP request and returns a “411 Length Required” error, it can be annoying. It’s possible that you won’t be able to retrieve data from the server without providing a content-length header. There are a couple ways you can fix this problem, though

Here’s a recap of how to resolve the “411 Length Required” error:

1. Check the requested URL.
2. Set a content-length header.
3. Clear your browser cache.
4. Uninstall recent updates or extensions.

To ensure every visitor can access your site, you might want to enable performance monitoring. With a Kinsta hosting plan, you get one of the best APM tools on the market. Using our APM dashboard, you can review external requests and immediately solve HTTP errors!