Loop Detected
Production Risk
Moderate. It indicates a problem with the resource structure on the server, but it also shows the server is correctly protecting itself from resource exhaustion.
The server detected an infinite loop while processing the request (sent in lieu of 208 Already Reported). This indicates that the server terminated an operation because it encountered an infinite loop while processing a request with 'Depth: infinity'.
- 1A WebDAV request with 'Depth: infinity' encounters a circular reference in the directory structure (e.g., a symbolic link that points to a parent directory).
- 2This prevents the server from endlessly traversing the directory tree and exhausting resources.
A PROPFIND request with infinite depth is made on a directory structure where a subdirectory contains a symbolic link to its own parent directory.
PROPFIND /docs/ HTTP/1.1 Host: webdav.example.com Depth: infinity
expected output
HTTP/1.1 508 Loop Detected
Fix 1
Fix the Directory Loop
WHEN You control the server filesystem.
Remove the symbolic link or other binding that is causing the infinite loop.
Why this works
Server Administration
Fix 2
Avoid Infinite Depth
WHEN You are the client.
Use a finite 'Depth' header (e.g., 'Depth: 1') instead of 'infinity' if possible.
Why this works
Client-Side Correction
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