What Is the 405 Status Code? (Method Not Allowed)

Paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or any LLM

On this page

HTTP 405 Method Not Allowed means the endpoint doesn't accept the HTTP method you used. The endpoint exists but won't accept your method — e.g. sending GET to a URL that only allows POST. The server lists the methods it does accept in the Allow header. It's also written “HTTP 405” or just “405 error” / “405 status code.”

Status code	405
Meaning	Method Not Allowed
Category	4xx Client Error
Common causes (scraping)	Wrong verb (GET vs POST), unsupported HEAD, WAF blocking the method
Right response	Fix the request / retry with backoff; for disguised blocks use a real-browser unblock

What a 405 Method Not Allowed means

The endpoint exists but won't accept your method — e.g. sending GET to a URL that only allows POST. The server lists the methods it does accept in the Allow header. In short, 405 status code is the endpoint doesn't accept the HTTP method you used.

Why scrapers see 405

Scrapers see 405 when they call an endpoint with the wrong verb: GETting a form action that requires POST, POSTing to a read-only resource, or using HEAD where it isn't supported. It also appears when a WAF normalizes or rejects unusual methods.

How to fix a 405 error

Read the Allow header in the 405 response — it lists exactly which methods are permitted. Switch to a supported verb and match the expected content type and body. Inspect the real site in DevTools to copy the exact method, headers, and payload the browser sends. If a WAF is rejecting the method itself, routing the request through a real-browser flow with Web Unblocker avoids the mismatch.

HTTP 403 Forbidden means the server understood the request but refuses to fulfill it. Unlike 401 (which means "you're not authenticated"), 4…

What Is the 429 Status Code (429 Error)?

HTTP 429 Too Many Requests is the status code a server returns when a client has sent more requests in a given window than the server's rate…

What Is the 503 Status Code (503 Service Unavailable Error)?

HTTP 503 Service Unavailable means the server is temporarily unable to handle the request — usually because it's overloaded, undergoing main…

What Is the 499 Status Code (499 Error)?

HTTP 499 Client Closed Request is a non-standard status code, logged by Nginx (and CDNs like Cloudflare) when the client closes the connecti…

What Is Cloudflare Error 1015?

Cloudflare error 1015 "You are being rate limited" is shown when a visitor has exceeded a rate-limiting rule configured by the site owner in…

What Is a 200 Status Code?

HTTP 200 OK is the standard success status code: the server received the request, processed it, and returned the expected response body. For…

Concept map

How 405 Status Code (405 Method Not Allowed) connects

The terms most directly tied to this one. Hover a node to see its neighbours, click to preview, drag to rearrange.

0 terms · 0 connections

You are here · HTTP Errors

Tools & solutions for this topic

Frequently asked questions

Is 405 a client or server error?

It's a client-side (4xx) error — the server is pointing at something in your request.

Does a 405 mean I'm blocked when scraping?

Not necessarily. 405 points at your request, not a ban — but anti-bot layers sometimes return it instead of a 403, so check the response body and headers.

How do I fix a 405 error?

The endpoint doesn't accept the http method you used is the cause, so the fix targets that. Correct the offending part of the request, then retry.

What's the difference between 405 and 404?

404 means the URL doesn't exist. 405 means the URL exists but doesn't support the method you used — the resource is there, your verb is wrong.

Last updated: 2026-05-28