---
set: 4
code: 403
title: Forbidden
references:
    "Rails HTTP Status Symbol": ":forbidden"
    "Go HTTP Status Constant": "http.StatusForbidden"
---

The server understood the request but refuses to authorize it.

A server that wishes to make public why the request has been forbidden can
describe that reason in the response payload (if any).

If authentication credentials were provided in the request, the server considers
them insufficient to grant access. The client SHOULD NOT automatically repeat
the request with the same credentials. The client MAY repeat the request with
new or different credentials. However, a request might be forbidden for reasons
unrelated to the credentials.

An origin server that wishes to "hide" the current existence of a forbidden
target resource MAY instead respond with a status code of
[404 Not Found](/404).

---

* Source: [RFC7231 Section 6.5.3][1]

[1]: <http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7231#section-6.5.3>