4xx Client error

451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons

The resource is blocked for legal reasons.

What 451 means

Named after Fahrenheit 451. Used when content is censored or blocked by a court order or sanctions in your region.

Common causes

Government censorship, court orders, sanctions or geo-legal restrictions.

How to fix it

If you're calling an API

Nothing technical; the block is legal, not a bug.

If you run the server

Include a Link header pointing to the blocking authority, as the RFC suggests.

Should you retry?

No.

Example response

HTTP

HTTP/1.1 451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons
Content-Type: application/problem+json

{
  "type": "about:blank",
  "title": "Unavailable For Legal Reasons",
  "status": 451,
  "detail": "The resource is blocked for legal reasons."
}

Defined in: RFC 7725. 451 is a client error: change the request before retrying.

Debugging an API call? Convert your request with the cURL converter, check the response with the JSON formatter, or see whether the API is down on its status page.

HTTP 451 FAQ

What does HTTP 451 mean?

451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons: The resource is blocked for legal reasons. Named after Fahrenheit 451. Used when content is censored or blocked by a court order or sanctions in your region.

Is 451 a client or server error?

It's a client error (4xx): something about the request needs to change before it can succeed.

How do I fix a 451 error?

Nothing technical; the block is legal, not a bug.

Should I retry after a 451?

No.

Other 4xx status codes

All HTTP status codes