What is it and what is the story behind error 404

We have all encountered a 404 error while browsing the web. Maybe even on iGuru! What exactly do the numbers mean in this error and why specifically the number 404?

error, 404, error

404 is an error code that appears on websites. It means a link is broken or does not lead to a valid page on a website. It is the thing that all website owners hate to see on their site, something that can harm a user's online experience.

A user can stumble upon a 404 page in a number of ways. Maybe it followed a link to the site itself that leads to a 404, or maybe there is a bookmark that leads to a dead end. Occasionally, 404 links may also appear on other sites or through search engines.

Due to the fact that it is a bad result in the surfing of the users, the websites with a lot of 404 pages do not have traffic. Some search engines penalize sites that contain a lot of corrupted links. Frequent redirects to 404 pages can result in a site being categorized as "low quality" or "unreliable" by Google algorithms. Most content management systems (CMS) have features that try to minimize 404 redirects.

The advent of the 404 has made it one of the most well-known mistakes in the history of the internet. It has become a meme and slang term in itself. Those who are "computer idiots" and refer to someone as having a "404 error", means that he is slow to think or ignores a particular issue.

Why “404?”
So why 404? The first thing we need to realize is that there are other "numbers" associated with the loading status of a web page. For example, when you load a regular webpage, it is a "200 OK" request, which means that it loaded without any problems.

Ο Tim Berners-Lee, considered the father of the internet, introduced HTTP status codes during World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), 1992. These codes, which are still used today, are formed into three-digit numbers. A code starting with "4" means customer error, which means that the user requested a page to which he does not have access.

Here are some standard codes that also start with 4 that you may recognize:

  • 400 Bad request: This usually occurs when there is an incorrect request to the site.
  • 401 Unauthorized and 403 Forbidden: These occur when the user does not have the necessary permissions to access a page, such as login or digital authentication.
  • 404 Not found: This occurs when the resource or page does not appear to exist on the server.
  • 408 Request Timeout: This occurs when the server expires or hits the maximum time to load a page before the request is complete.

Other common error messages
In addition to seeing "HTTP 404" or "404 Not Found", you may also encounter some other error codes that carry the same thing. Common variations include "Page not found" or "File not found". Depending on the site you are browsing, you may also see messages such as "Product not found".

error, 404, error

One thing to note is that websites can customize which page a 404 hyperlink is directed to, so many website owners are designing a custom 404 page. Some will tell you to contact the webmaster of the site. others use it as an opportunity for the user to search for something else on the site. For example, iGuru page 404 leads to the message “Ooops, sorry! We could not find it ”and in a search bar for further use.

And now what?
If you come across a page that has a 404 error, but you are sure it used to have content, there are a few things you can do. One is to check if the administrator has moved this content elsewhere. Websites are constantly changing their URL structures, so it is possible that the link has been recategorized or renamed. If the site does not have an internal search engine, you can search for a site on Google by typing site: iguru.gr or the equivalent if you are looking for another site.

You can also use the Wayback Machine, a service provided by the Internet Archive. To use this service, copy and paste the URL of the page in their context. It will display a list of archived versions of this page from previous years. Although this does not always work, many sites have archived versions.

If none of these options seem to work, you may need to look for the content elsewhere or contact the site administrator. There is a good chance that there is a contact page. Contact them and let them know they have a broken link.

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Written by Dimitris

Dimitris hates on Mondays .....

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