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9| 10|# HTTP 402 Is Back: How get402 Revives the Payment Required Status Code 11| 12|For decades, HTTP 402 "Payment Required" sat dormant in the HTTP specification — a reserved status code with no standardized implementation. While every other 4xx status code found its purpose, 402 remained a ghost in the machine, waiting for the right moment. 13| 14|That moment is now. 15| 16|## What is HTTP 402? 17| 18|HTTP 402 (Payment Required) is a status code defined in RFC 7231 but originally reserved since HTTP/1.0. Unlike

401 (Unauthorized) or 403 (Forbidden), 402 specifically indicates that the server cannot process the request because the client has not paid. 19| 20| 21| HTTP / 1.1 402 Payment Required 22|Content-Type: application/json 23| 24|{ 25| "error": "payment_required", 26| "message": "This endpoint requires a payment of 0.01 USDC", 27| "amount": "0.01", 28| "currency": "USDC", 29| "network": "base" 30|} 31|``` 32| 33|## The get402 Implementation 34| 35|[get402](https://get402.net) is the first production-ready implementati

on of HTTP 402. Here's how it works: 36| 37|1. **Developer registers an API endpoint** with get402 and sets a price per request 38|2. **Client calls the endpoint** — if they haven't paid, they receive a 402 response 39|3. **Client pays** the required amount in USDC on Base 40|4. **get402 verifies the transaction** and allows the request through 41|5. **Developer gets paid** — automatically, every time 42| 43|API providers keep **99%** of revenue — get402 takes only **1%**. 44| 45|## Why Now? 46| 47|Three factors ma

ke 2026 the year of HTTP 402: 48| 49|1. **Stablecoins are mature** — USDC on Base offers fast, cheap settlements (~$0.001 per transaction) 50|2. **Developers want fair monetization** — pay-per-call is more equitable than flat subscriptions 51|3. **The web needs new business models** — AI APIs, premium data feeds, and serverless functions all benefit from granular billing 52| 53|## Getting Started 54| 55|Ready to implement HTTP 402 in your API? Head to [get402.net](https://get402.net) or check out our [dashboard](ht

tps://dashboard.get402.net). Install the SDK: 56| 57| ```bash 58|npm install @get402/sdk 59|``` 60| 61|Then protect any endpoint with one line: 62| 63| ```typescript 64|import { get402 } from '@get402/sdk'; 65| 66|app.get('/api/premium-data', get402.protect('0.01'), handler); 67|``` 68| 69|HTTP 402 is no longer just a reserved status code — it's a business model. 70| 71|--- 72| 73|*Built on Base. Powered by USDC. Available now at [get402.net](https://get402.net).* 74|