What is the meaning of the 408 Request Timeout status code?

Short answer: It indicates the server timed out waiting for the client’s request. 👉 Example: Client took too long to send data in a POST request.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Creating an order is POST /api/orders → 201 with Location header. Fetching is GET /api/orders/{id} → 200 or 404.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.