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What does HTTP status code 204 – No Content mean?
Status code 204, also known as no content, is an HTTP response code which means that the server has fulfilled the request but there is no additional content to send in this particular response.
We might see status code 204 when one of the following occurs:
– The client requested a service but didn’t provide enough information for the server to identify and fulfill it.
– The server can’t fulfill the request with any additional information.
– The client didn’t understand how to use the resource or protocol that was being used by the server.
Status code 204 is not a standard error code and can be used by any HTTP server if they want to indicate that there are no further resources to return in order for them to comply with their contract.
This might be utilized, for example, when a wiki site “save and continue editing” feature is implemented. The page would be saved using a PUT request, and the 204 No Content response would be given to signal that the editor should not be replaced by another page.
Because a 204 response cannot contain a message-body, it is terminated by the first empty line after the header fields.
A 204 response is cacheable by default unless the method definition or specific cache controls state otherwise.
Status
204 No Content
Example
For example, if a status code 204 is received in response to a PUT request and the response contains an ETag header field, then the PUT was successful and the ETag field-value contains the entity-tag for the new representation of that target resource.
Browser Compatibility
Full support on all browsers
204 Code References
| Rails HTTP Status Symbol | :no_content |
| Go HTTP Status Constant | http.StatusNoContent |
| Symfony HTTP Status Constant | Response::HTTP_NO_CONTENT |
| Python2 HTTP Status Constant | httplib.NO_CONTENT |
| Python3+ HTTP Status Constant | http.client.NO_CONTENT |
| Python3.5+ HTTP Status Constant | http.HTTPStatus.NO_CONTENT |
Specifications
| Specification | Title |
| RFC 7231, section 6.3.4: 204 No Content | Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP/1.1): Semantics and Content |
Related Post: HTTP Status Code 203
FAQs
What does an HTTP status code of 204 no content mean?
Status code 204 means that the client requested content that wasn’t available on the server.
What is the difference between status code 204 vs 200?
HTTP 200 OK: Standard response for successful HTTP requests. The actual response will depend on the method of request used.
HTTP 204 No Content: The server successfully processed the request, but is not returning any content
Can POST return 204?
From the service’s Point of view, status code 204 No Content response may be a valid response to a PUT, POST, or DELETE request.
Conclusion
I hope this article was able to help you with your doubts and queries related to the HTTP status code 204 No Content. Still, if there are any questions you have that are unanswered, feel free to ask them in the comment section, we would be happy to assist you. Thank you.
Kedar Dangal
Making a difference, Adding the sum.