HTTP 411 Length Required

What is HTTP 411 Length Required?

The 411 (Length Required) status code indicates that the server refuses to accept the request without a defined Content-Length header. The client must include a valid Content-Length header field containing the length of the message body.

Common Use Cases

• Upload endpoints requiring Content-Length
• APIs that validate request body size before processing

// Laravel middleware - requiring Content-Length
if (! $request->headers->has('Content-Length') && $request->getContent()) {
    return response()->json([
        'error' => 'Content-Length header is required',
    ], 411);
}