202 Accepted

What is 202 Accepted?

TL;DR: Server accepted your request for background processing but hasn’t finished yet. Check back later using the provided status URL.

A 202 Accepted status code means the server received your request and will process it, but hasn’t finished yet. Think of it like dropping off your car at a repair shop—the mechanic accepts your keys and says “we’ll work on it,” but the repair isn’t done immediately. You get a receipt and come back later to check the status.

This is perfect for long-running operations that would take too long to complete in a single HTTP request.

When Does This Happen?

You’ll see a 202 Accepted response in these common situations:

1. File Processing

POST /videos/upload with large video file
Server starts encoding in the background

2. Batch Operations

POST /users/bulk-import with CSV file
Server queues processing of thousands of records

3. Email Sending

POST /emails/send with newsletter to 10,000 subscribers
Server queues emails for gradual delivery

4. Report Generation

POST /reports/sales with complex parameters
Server starts generating large PDF report

5. Data Analysis

POST /analytics/process with large dataset
Server begins machine learning analysis

Example Responses

Video Upload Processing:

HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/json
Location: /jobs/video-123

{
  "jobId": "video-123",
  "status": "processing",
  "message": "Video upload accepted for processing",
  "estimatedCompletion": "2026-01-18T12:15:00Z",
  "statusUrl": "/jobs/video-123/status"
}
```text

**Bulk Data Import:**

```http
HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "batchId": "import-456",
  "status": "queued",
  "totalRecords": 5000,
  "message": "Import job queued successfully",
  "checkStatusAt": "/imports/456/status"
}

Email Campaign:

HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "campaignId": "newsletter-789",
  "status": "sending",
  "recipients": 10000,
  "sent": 0,
  "progressUrl": "/campaigns/789/progress"
}
```text

## Real-World Example

Imagine you're building a photo sharing app and someone uploads a large image that needs resizing:

**Request:**

```http
POST /photos HTTP/1.1
Host: photoapp.com
Content-Type: multipart/form-data

[large image file data]

Response:

HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/json
Location: /jobs/photo-resize-abc123

{
  "jobId": "photo-resize-abc123",
  "status": "processing",
  "originalSize": "4032x3024",
  "targetSizes": ["1920x1440", "800x600", "200x150"],
  "estimatedCompletion": "2026-01-18T12:05:00Z",
  "statusEndpoint": "/jobs/photo-resize-abc123"
}
```javascript

## 202 vs Other Success Codes

| Code    | Meaning                    | When to Use                                    |
| ------- | -------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| **202** | Accepted, processing later | Long-running operations, async processing      |
| **200** | Success, completed now     | Immediate operations with results              |
| **201** | Created successfully       | Resource creation that completes immediately   |
| **204** | Success, no content        | Operations that complete with no response data |

## Status Checking Pattern

After receiving 202, clients typically check status:

**Initial Request:**

```http
POST /reports/generate
→ 202 Accepted with jobId

Status Check:

GET /jobs/report-123
→ 200 OK with current status
```text

**Completion Check:**

```http
GET /jobs/report-123
→ 303 See Other, Location: /reports/final-report.pdf

Common Mistakes

❌ Using 202 for quick operations

POST /users/login  ← Fast operation
HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted  ← Should be 200 OK immediately
```text

**❌ Not providing status checking**

```http
HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
{"message": "Processing"}  ← No way to check progress!

❌ Using 200 for slow operations

POST /videos/process  ← Takes 10 minutes
HTTP/1.1 200 OK  ← Client waits 10 minutes for response
```text

**✅ Correct usage**

```http
POST /videos/process
HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
Location: /jobs/video-123

{
  "jobId": "video-123",
  "statusUrl": "/jobs/video-123"
}

Best Practices

Provide Job Tracking:

HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
{
  "jobId": "unique-job-id",
  "statusUrl": "/jobs/unique-job-id",
  "estimatedDuration": "5 minutes"
}
```text

**Include Progress Information:**

```http
GET /jobs/unique-job-id
HTTP/1.1 200 OK

{
  "status": "processing",
  "progress": 65,
  "message": "Processing item 650 of 1000"
}

Handle Completion:

GET /jobs/unique-job-id
HTTP/1.1 303 See Other
Location: /results/final-output

Try It Yourself

Visit our request builder and start a long-running operation:

1. Set method to POST
2. Set path to /jobs/demo
3. Add body with processing parameters
4. Click Send request
5. Watch the 202 response with job tracking info

Related Status Codes

• 200 OK - Immediate successful completion
• 201 Created - Resource created immediately
• 303 See Other - Job completed, result available elsewhere
• 102 Processing - Still working on the request