httpstatuses/contents/codes/208.md

---
set: 2
code: 208
title: Already Reported
---

Used inside a DAV: propstat response element to avoid enumerating the internal
members of multiple bindings to the same collection repeatedly.

For each binding to a collection inside the request's scope, only one will be
reported with a 200 status, while subsequent DAV:response elements for all other
bindings will use the 208 status, and no DAV:response elements for their
descendants are included.

Note that the 208 status will only occur for "Depth: infinity" requests, and
that it is of particular importance when the multiple collection bindings cause
a bind loop as discussed in [RFC5842][2].

A client can request the DAV:resource-id property in a PROPFIND request to
guarantee that they can accurately reconstruct the binding structure of a
collection with multiple bindings to a single resource.

For backward compatibility with clients not aware of the 208 status code
appearing in multistatus response bodies, it SHOULD NOT be used unless the
client has signaled support for this specification using the "DAV" request
header<sup>[1](#ref-1)</sup>. Instead, a [508 Loop Detected](/508) status should
be returned when a binding loop is discovered. This allows the server to return
the 508 as the top-level return status, if it discovers it before it started the
response, or in the middle of a multistatus, if it discovers it in the middle of
streaming out a multistatus response.

---

* <span id="ref-1"><sup>1</sup> 'DAV' Request Header
[RFC5842Section 8.2][3]</span>
* Source: [RFC5842 Section 7.1][1]

[1]: <http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5842#section-7.1>
[2]: <http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5842#section-2.2>
[3]: <http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5842#section-8.2>