The HTTP 102 status code stands for "Processing". It is an informational response used to indicate that the server has received and is processing the request, but no final response is available yet.

When is HTTP 102 Used?

  • It is primarily used with WebDAV (Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning) to handle long-running requests.
  • It prevents the client from timing out when the server takes a long time to process a request.

Example Scenario

If a client sends a complex request (e.g., modifying multiple resources in a WebDAV system), the server may take significant time to complete it. Instead of leaving the client waiting, the server sends 102 Processing to let the client know it is still working.

Client Request:

    
    POST /large-operation HTTP/1.1
    Host: example.com
    Content-Length: 50000

Server Response (Intermediate)

  
    HTTP/1.1 102 Processing

Final Response (Once Done)

  
    HTTP/1.1 200 OK
    Content-Type: application/json

Summary

HTTP 102 is an intermediate response used in WebDAV to inform the client that the request is being processed, preventing timeouts during long-running operations.