[Answers](https://scrapfly.io/blog)   /  [blocking](https://scrapfly.io/blog/tag/blocking)   /  [Web scraping - what is HTTP 403 status code?](https://scrapfly.io/blog/answers/403-status-code)   # Web scraping - what is HTTP 403 status code?

 by [Bernardas Alisauskas](https://scrapfly.io/blog/author/bernardas) Dec 16, 2022 1 min read [\#blocking](https://scrapfly.io/blog/tag/blocking) 

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Response status code 403 is a denial of content status code which means the client is **forbidden** from seeing this content.

In web scraping, this can be caused by **invalid HTTP request parameters** like:

- Missing headers like `X-Requested-With`, `X-CSRF-Token`, `Origin` or even `Referer`. It's important to match the values and header ordering as seen on the website.
- Missing cookies like session cookies or special tokens.

Alternatively, the scraper could be **identified as a web scraper** and 403 can mean the scraper is simply being **blocked**.

To prevent scrapers from being identified and blocked see our complete [how to scrape without being blocked](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-bypass-anti-bot-protection-when-web-scraping).

Repeated 403 status codes can lead to a complete scraper block, so these errors should be addressed ASAP.



 

    



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