What Is a 511 Status Code?
The client needs to authenticate to gain network access.
The response representation SHOULD contain a link to a resource that allows the user to submit credentials (e.g., with an HTML form).
Note that the 511 response SHOULD NOT contain a challenge or the login interface itself, because browsers would show the login interface as being associated with the originally requested URL, which may cause confusion.
The 511 status SHOULD NOT be generated by origin servers; it is intended for use by intercepting proxies that are interposed as a means of controlling access to the network.
Responses with the 511 status code MUST NOT be stored by a cache.
The 511 status code is designed to mitigate problems caused by “captive portals” to software (especially non-browser agents) that is expecting a response from the server that a request was made to, not the intervening network infrastructure. It is not intended to encourage deployment of captive portals — only to limit the damage caused by them.
A network operator wishing to require some authentication, acceptance of terms, or other user interaction before granting access usually does so by identifying clients who have not done so (“unknown clients”) using their Media Access Control (MAC) addresses.
Unknown clients then have all traffic blocked, except for that on TCP port 80, which is sent to an HTTP server (the “login server”) dedicated to “logging in” unknown clients, and of course traffic to the login server itself.
For example, a user agent might connect to a network and make the following HTTP request on TCP port 80:
GET /index.htm HTTP/1.1
Host: www.example.com
Upon receiving such a request, the login server would generate a 511 response:
HTTP/1.1 511 Network Authentication Required
Content-Type: text/html
<html>
<head>
<title>Network Authentication Required</title>
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=https://login.example.net/">
</head>
<body>
<p>You need to <a href="https://login.example.net/">
authenticate with the local network</a> in order to gain
access.</p>
</body>
</html>
Here, the 511 status code assures that non-browser clients will not interpret the response as being from the origin server, and the META HTML element redirects the user agent to the login server.
- Source: RFC6585 Section 6
511 CODE REFERENCES
Symfony HTTP Status Constant Response::HTTP_NETWORK_AUTHENTICATION_REQUIRED
.NET HttpStatusCode.NetworkAuthenticationRequired
Rust http::StatusCode::NETWORK_AUTHENTICATION_REQUIRED
Rails :network_authentication_required
Go http.StatusNetworkAuthenticationRequired
Python3.5+ http.HTTPStatus.NETWORK_AUTHENTICATION_REQUIRED
Apache HttpComponents Core org.apache.hc.core5.http.HttpStatus.SC_NETWORK_AUTHENTICATION_REQUIRED
Angular @angular/common/http/HttpStatusCode.NetworkAuthenticationRequired
511 status code example
Here’s an example of a request and response that could result in a 511 Network Authentication Required status code:
Request
GET /resource HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
Response
HTTP/1.1 511 Network Authentication Required
Content-Type: text/html
Content-Length: 231
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>511 Network Authentication Required</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Network Authentication Required</h1>
<p>The client needs to authenticate to gain network access.</p>
</body>
</html>
In this example, the client is requesting the “/resource” URL from the example.com server. However, the server responds with a 511 Network Authentication Required status code to indicate that the client needs to authenticate to gain network access. The response includes a message body that provides additional details about the error.
What causes a 511 status code?
A 511 Network Authentication Required status code is typically used when a client needs to authenticate to gain network access, but hasn’t. This status code is typically seen in corporate or enterprise environments where network access is restricted and clients are required to authenticate themselves in order to access the network.
The 511 status code is often used when a client attempts to access a resource over an encrypted connection (such as HTTPS) and the network requires additional authentication before granting access. This can happen if the client’s user account does not have the necessary permissions to access the resource or if the network has additional security measures in place.
How to fix a 511 status code
As a client accessing a server, the best way to troubleshoot or fix a 511 Network Authentication Required status code is to ensure that you are properly authenticated to access the resource you are requesting.
Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue:
- Check your credentials: Ensure that you are using the correct username and password to authenticate to the network or resource you are trying to access.
- Check your permissions: Make sure that your user account has the necessary permissions to access the resource you are requesting. If you do not have the required permissions, contact the network administrator to request access.
- Check for additional security measures: In some cases, a network may have additional security measures in place that require additional authentication beyond a username and password. Check with the network administrator to see if there are any additional steps you need to take to access the resource.
- Check the server logs: If you are still unable to access the resource, check the server logs for any error messages that may provide more information about the issue. The server logs may provide additional details about why the 511 status code was returned and what actions you can take to resolve the issue.
In short, the best way to troubleshoot or fix a 511 status code is to ensure that you are properly authenticated and authorized to access the resource you are requesting, and to check for any additional security measures or server-side issues that may be preventing access.
Additional resources
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