---
title: "103 Early Hints"
canonical: "https://lemwatch.com/http-status-codes/103"
category: "informational"
last_verified: "2026-08-11"
source: "https://lemwatch.com"
---

# HTTP 103 Early Hints

**Summary** — The server sends preliminary headers to allow the browser to start preloading resources before the final response.

## What it means

HTTP 103 Early Hints allows the server to send HTTP headers before the final response. Browsers can start preloading linked resources (CSS, fonts, scripts) while the server is still preparing the full response. This can significantly improve page load performance.

## Common causes

- Server supports early hints for performance optimisation
- CDN/proxy sends preload hints
- Server uses Link headers for critical resources

## How to fix

- This is a performance feature — no fix needed
- To implement, configure your server to send Link headers with rel=preload

## SEO impact

Positive indirect impact. Faster page loads improve Core Web Vitals, which Google uses as a ranking signal.

## Monitoring tip

LemWatch tracks Core Web Vitals including LCP. Sites using 103 Early Hints often see improved LCP scores.

**Related:** [100](https://lemwatch.com/http-status-codes/100.md), [200](https://lemwatch.com/http-status-codes/200.md)

_Canonical HTML page: https://lemwatch.com/http-status-codes/103_