Network Read Timeout Error
Production Risk
Low — proxy-specific; indicates upstream is too slow or network is unstable.
598 Network Read Timeout Error is an informal status code used by some HTTP proxies to indicate that a network read timeout occurred while the proxy was waiting for data from the upstream server. It is not defined in any IETF standard.
- 1The upstream server started sending a response but stopped before completing it.
- 2A network interruption occurred mid-response transfer.
- 3The upstream server is under load and cannot send data fast enough to satisfy the proxy's read timeout.
- 4Large response body transfer timed out.
A proxy receives the response headers from an upstream but the response body transfer stalls and times out.
GET /large-response HTTP/1.1 Host: example.com # Proxy receives headers → body transfer stalls → read timeout
expected output
HTTP/1.1 598 Network Read Timeout Error
Fix
Increase proxy read timeout
WHEN Legitimate large responses are timing out.
# nginx proxy read timeout proxy_read_timeout 120s;
Why this works
Gives the upstream more time to complete sending the response body.
✕ Do not use 598 in new application or API designs
Use 504 Gateway Timeout — it is the IETF-standardised code for upstream timeout conditions.
Not defined in any IETF RFC. Encountered in logs from some proxy software. Use 504 in new designs.
Informal convention (no IETF RFC)
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