HTTP Status Code 463 – Too Many Forwarded IP Addresses
The HTTP status code 463, labeled as “Too Many Forwarded IP Addresses,” is used to indicate that a request has passed through an excessive number of proxy servers or intermediaries, resulting in a potentially unreliable or spoofed forwarding chain. This status code helps servers protect against misconfigured proxies or malicious clients attempting to obscure the original source of the request.
Example 1: Excessive Proxy Chain
Consider a scenario where a request passes through multiple proxies, each adding an IP address to the X-Forwarded-For header. If the number of IPs exceeds a predefined limit, the server might respond with a 463 status code.
HTTP/1.1 463 Too Many Forwarded IP Addresses
Content-Type: text/html
Content-Length: 142
<html><head><title>463 Too Many Forwarded IP Addresses</title></head><body>
<h1>Too Many Forwarded IP Addresses</h1>
<p>The request has passed through an excessive number of proxies, indicating a potentially unreliable request source.</p>
</body></html>
In this example, the server has determined that the request is unreliable due to an unusually long chain of forwarding IPs, suggesting a possible spoofing attempt.
Example 2: Misconfigured Proxy
A misconfigured proxy server might inadvertently add multiple entries to the X-Forwarded-For header for each request. The server receiving this request might interpret this as too many forwarded addresses and respond with a 463 status code.
HTTP/1.1 463 Too Many Forwarded IP Addresses
Content-Type: application/json
Content-Length: 178
{
"error": "Too Many Forwarded IP Addresses",
"message": "The request has traversed too many proxies, which may indicate a misconfigured network.",
"solution": "Check your proxy configuration."
}
Here, the server advises checking the network configuration because the excessive IP addresses may be a result of a proxy misconfiguration rather than malicious intent.
Example 3 Scenario
# Client sends a request example.
GET /example HTTP/1.1
Host: www.example.com
# Server Response
HTTP/1.1 463 463 Too Many Forwarded IP Addresses
Date: Wed, 09 Oct 2024 23:08:46 GMT
Server: ExampleServer/1.0
Content-Type: application/json
{
"error": "Description of the error for 463"
}
Example 4 Scenario
# Client sends another example request.
POST /another-example HTTP/1.1
Host: www.example.com
# Server Response
HTTP/1.1 463 463 Too Many Forwarded IP Addresses
Date: Wed, 09 Oct 2024 23:08:46 GMT
Server: ExampleServer/1.0
Content-Type: application/json
{
"error": "Detailed message for 463"
}
Summary
The 463 status code serves as a protective measure against requests with potentially spoofed origins by flagging those that have traversed an unusually high number of proxies. While legitimate networks may encounter this issue due to misconfigurations, the primary goal is to prevent abuse through excessive IP forwarding.
