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What Is HTTP 428 Precondition Required?

HTTP 428 Precondition Required explained, and what it means when you see it in CI/CD and deployments.

HTTP 428 means the server requires the request to be conditional to prevent lost updates.

What it means

A 428 forces clients to send an If-Match (ETag) header so concurrent edits do not silently overwrite each other.

When you see it in CI/CD

CI scripts updating a resource may get 428 until they include the current ETag. Fetch the resource, read its ETag, then send it with If-Match.

Key takeaways

  • 428 means a conditional request is required.
  • Send If-Match with the ETag.
  • Prevents lost updates.

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