413 Request Entity Too Large (Payload Too Large): what it means and how to fix it
A file upload or a big JSON POST fails with 413, while small ones work. Something between the browser and your code has a size limit, and your request is over it.
Find the layer that said no
| What the 413 looks like | Who sent it | Default limit |
|---|---|---|
| HTML page "413 Request Entity Too Large" with nginx at the bottom | nginx | 1 MB |
PayloadTooLargeError: request entity too large in the Node log | Express body-parser / express.json() | 100 KB |
| Cloudflare-branded 413 | Cloudflare | 100 MB on Free and Pro, 200 MB Business, 500 MB Enterprise |
Laravel PostTooLargeException, or empty $_POST/$_FILES | PHP | post_max_size 8M, upload_max_filesize 2M |
Django RequestDataTooBig | Django | DATA_UPLOAD_MAX_MEMORY_SIZE 2.5 MB (form data, not file uploads) |
| IIS 413 or 404.13 | IIS | maxAllowedContentLength about 28.6 MB |
| AWS API Gateway or Lambda error | AWS | 10 MB API Gateway; 6 MB synchronous Lambda payload |
Check the response headers in DevTools: server: nginx or server: cloudflare tells you a lot. If the app's own logs never show the request, a proxy in front stopped it.
Fixes by layer
# nginx (http, server or location block), then: nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx
client_max_body_size 50m; # 0 disables the check
// Express
app.use(express.json({ limit: '10mb' }));
app.use(express.urlencoded({ limit: '10mb', extended: true }));
; PHP (php.ini), then restart PHP-FPM
upload_max_filesize = 50M
post_max_size = 55M ; must be larger than upload_max_filesize
# Django settings.py
DATA_UPLOAD_MAX_MEMORY_SIZE = 10 * 1024 * 1024On Kubernetes with ingress-nginx, set the annotation nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/proxy-body-size: 50m. In Next.js API routes, set export const config = { api: { bodyParser: { sizeLimit: '10mb' } } }; server actions use serverActions.bodySizeLimit in next.config.js (default 1 MB).
Units trip people up
nginx 1m means 1 MiB (1,048,576 bytes). Base64 makes data about 33% bigger, so a 4 MB image sent as a Base64 string in JSON is roughly 5.3 MB on the wire, and a multipart upload adds a little framing on top. The Base64 tool shows the size before and after; the number converter helps with bytes versus hex lengths.
Better than raising the limit forever
- Upload large files straight to object storage with a pre-signed URL, so they never pass through your app server.
- Split big uploads into chunks (resumable uploads), each under the limit.
- Send files as
multipart/form-datarather than Base64 inside JSON. - Compress or resize images in the browser before uploading.
- Keep a limit: an unlimited body size lets anyone fill your disk or memory.
Related
431 Request Header Fields Too Large (headers, not the body) · 502 Bad Gateway · Base64 data URLs · ENOSPC no space left on device
Questions
What does 413 Request Entity Too Large mean?
The request body, usually a file upload or large JSON, is bigger than a size limit set by the web server, a proxy or your framework.
How do I fix 413 in nginx?
Set client_max_body_size to the size you need (for example 50m) in the http, server or location block, then test the config and reload nginx.
Why do I get PayloadTooLargeError in Express?
express.json() and body-parser default to 100 KB. Pass a larger limit, such as express.json({ limit: '10mb' }).
What is Cloudflare's upload limit?
100 MB per request on the Free and Pro plans. Larger files need chunked uploads or a direct upload to storage.
Is 413 the same as 431?
No. 413 is about the request body; 431 means the headers, usually cookies, are too large.
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