What does HTTP status code 103 mean?
The 103 Early Hints status code is primarily intended to be used with the Link header to allow the user agent to start preloading resources while the server prepares the final response payload.
When to use it in APIs
Useful in high-performance web applications or APIs returning HTML/critical assets where the browser can benefit from preloading CSS, JS, or font assets early in the connection lifecycle.
How it compares to other codes
- 200 OK: The final successful response. 103 is a pre-response hint sent before 200.
