Why does my shared hosting site show 508?
Some hosting control panels use 508 to report that the account hit its resource limits, such as CPU or entry processes. That use is unrelated to WebDAV loops.
HTTP 508 LOOP DETECTED
WebDAV: an infinite loop was found while processing. 508 belongs to the 5xx server error class and is defined in RFC 5842.
Loading the workbench.
About HTTP 508
What Does HTTP 508 Loop Detected Mean?
WebDAV: an infinite loop was found while processing. The code is registered with IANA and defined in RFC 5842.
Server error: the server failed to fulfill a valid request. Every code from 500 to 599 shares that general meaning, so a client that does not recognise 508 must treat it like 500.
When Do You See a 508 Response?
508 Loop Detected comes from the WebDAV binding extension (RFC 5842). The server stopped processing a request with Depth: infinity, such as a recursive PROPFIND or COPY, because it found a cycle in the collection tree, where a binding leads back to a parent. It protects the server from endless recursion. Some shared hosting platforms also borrow 508 to signal exceeded resource limits.
How Do You Fix a 508?
WebDAV clients should avoid infinite-depth operations on trees that may contain bindings, or use Depth: 1 and walk the tree themselves while tracking what they have visited. Administrators should look for bindings or symlinks that create cycles. On shared hosting, a 508 is often unrelated to WebDAV: check the host's documentation for CPU or process limits.
What Does a 508 Response Look Like?
HTTP/1.1 508 Loop Detected
Content-Type: application/xml; charset=utf-8508 is not cacheable by default: a browser or CDN stores it only when Cache-Control or Expires explicitly allows it.
To inspect a real one without sending it anywhere:
- Copy the response headers from your browser Network tab, or from
curl -i. - Paste them into the Header decoder to see every header explained.
- Check caching in the Cache lane.
Which Status Codes Are Related to 508?
- 208 Already Reported: WebDAV: members of this binding were already listed earlier in the response.
- 207 Multi-Status: WebDAV: the body holds separate status codes for several resources.
- 500 Internal Server Error: A generic server failure, usually an unhandled exception.
Browse every code on the HTTP status codes page.
What Other Lanes Are in the Reference Section?
- HTTP status codes: Every IANA-registered status code, with a page per code.
- MIME types: File extensions to Content-Type, searchable both ways, plus a Content-Type parser.
- HTTP methods: GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE and the rest: safe, idempotent, cacheable.
Elsewhere in 2http: Header decoder, Cookie decoder, Cache-Control decoder, CORS checker, User-agent parser, and all eleven lanes on the 2http home page. Part of the 2suite.io privacy-first ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does 208 relate to 508?
Both come from the WebDAV binding extension. 208 lets a server skip already-listed members, while 508 aborts an operation that would loop forever.
Is HTTP 508 an error?
Yes. 508 is a server error response: the server failed to handle a valid request, so retrying later may work.
Is a 508 response cacheable by default?
No. Caches store a 508 only when Cache-Control or Expires explicitly allows it.
How Can You Verify That Nothing Leaves This Browser?
You do not have to take our word that your headers stay here. Developer tools show every request a page makes, so you can watch this page work and confirm that nothing is sent. The check takes under a minute.
- Open your browser developer tools with
F12, orCmd+Option+Ion a Mac, and select the Network tab. - Reload the page and let it finish. You will see the page's own files, its web fonts, and one anonymous page-view request. Nothing has been typed yet, so none of them can contain your headers.
- Click the clear icon in the Network tab so that the log is empty.
- Paste real headers into any lane and read the result.
- Look at the Network tab again. It is still empty. For extra proof, turn on offline mode after the page loads and every lane keeps working.
Only two things can add a line to that log, and neither carries your headers. Submitting the feedback form sends the vote and comment you typed. Typing characters in a script the page has not displayed yet, such as Cyrillic or Greek, can make the browser fetch the matching font file, and that request names only the font.
2http never sends a request on your behalf: the request builder writes code for you to run, and the meta inspector reads source you paste instead of fetching a URL. The production site also sends a Content-Security-Policy header that tells your browser to refuse connections to anywhere except this site and the anonymous analytics endpoint.