418x Apr 2026

In 1998, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) released as an April Fools' Joke. It defined the "Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol" (HTCPCP).

Many web frameworks still support 418 as a valid (albeit humorous) response. In 1998, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

The specific error is returned by a teapot when it is requested to brew coffee. According to the spec: The specific error is returned by a teapot

While many temporary jokes are deleted, the developer community fought to keep 418. In 2017, there was a movement to retire the code to make room for more "serious" status updates, but thousands of developers protested, arguing that the teapot code is a vital part of the internet’s "soul" and culture. For those unfamiliar with the deep lore of

For those unfamiliar with the deep lore of the internet, the is a classic piece of tech humor that has endured for decades. What is it?

"Any attempt to brew coffee with a teapot should result in the error code '418 I'm a teapot'. The resulting entity body MAY be short and stout." Why it stays "Good"