HTTP 204 No Content: Meaning, Use Cases, and Best Practices

When an operation succeeds but has nothing to say back, that’s where status code 204 comes in. It’s one of the most elegant HTTP status codes, providing a way to say, “I did what you asked, and everything’s fine,” without sending a response payload.

This guide explains what the 204 response code means, when to use it, how it differs from other success codes, and how to test it effectively in Postman.

When to use 204

DELETE requests

When deleting a resource, there’s typically no content response to return:

DELETE /api/users/12345 HTTP/1.1
Authorization: Bearer token123

HTTP/1.1 204 No Content

The resource is gone, and the status code itself confirms success.

PUT and PATCH updates

When updating a resource, if the client already knows the final state, returning it would be redundant:

PUT /api/settings/notifications HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "email_notifications": false,
  "push_notifications": true
}

HTTP/1.1 204 No Content

The client just sent the data, so echoing it back adds no value.

Other common uses

• Batch operations: Processing multiple items where individual results aren’t needed.

• Preference updates: User settings and configuration changes.

• Dismissing notifications: Marking items as read or clearing alerts.

204 vs other success codes

Understanding when to use 204 instead of other 2xx codes is key to good API design.

Status code	Response body	Use case
200 OK	Yes	Successful request with data to return
201 Created	Usually	New resource created
202 Accepted	Usually	Request accepted for async processing
204 No Content	No	Successful request with nothing to return

204 vs 200 OK

200 OK returns a response body with data. 204 returns no body at all.

Use 200 when the client needs information:

GET /api/users/12345 HTTP/1.1

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "id": "12345",
  "name": "Pat Postman",
  "email": "[email protected]"
}

Use 204 when there’s nothing to return, such as after a successful delete request:

DELETE /api/users/12345 HTTP/1.1

HTTP/1.1 204 No Content

204 vs 201 Created

201 Created indicates a new resource was created and typically includes a Location header pointing to it. 204 confirms success without creating anything new.

Use 201 for resource creation:

POST /api/users HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Pat Postman",
  "email": "[email protected]"
}

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Location: /api/users/12345

Use 204 for actions that don’t create resources:

DELETE /api/sessions/current HTTP/1.1

HTTP/1.1 204 No Content

204 vs 202 Accepted

202 Accepted means the request was received, but processing has not yet been completed. 204 means processing is complete and successful.

Use 202 for asynchronous operations:

POST /api/reports/generate HTTP/1.1

HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "status": "processing",
  "check_url": "/api/reports/789/status"
}

Use 204 when the operation completes immediately:

PATCH /api/settings HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles"
}

HTTP/1.1 204 No Content

Real-world examples

E-commerce

• POST /cart/items → Add item to cart (might use 204 if cart state is managed client-side)

• DELETE /cart/items/789 → Remove item from cart

Social media

• POST /posts/456/like → Like a post

• DELETE /following/789 → Unfollow a user

Task management

• PATCH /tasks/456 → Mark task as complete

• DELETE /notifications/123 → Dismiss notification

Headers with 204 responses

Even though 204 responses have no body, they can and should include meaningful HTTP headers for caching and rate limiting.

Recommended headers:

HTTP/1.1 204 No Content
Cache-Control: no-cache
X-RateLimit-Limit: 100
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 95
ETag: "33a64df551425fcc55e4d42a148795d9f25f89d4"

Avoid these:

• Content-Type: Since there’s no body, content type is meaningless.

• Content-Length: Should be zero or omitted entirely.

Testing 204 responses in Postman

Postman makes it straightforward to test 204 responses.

Basic test

1. Create a new request in Postman.

2. Set the method to DELETE (or PUT/PATCH).

3. Enter your endpoint URL.

4. Add any required headers or authentication.

5. Click Send.

6. Verify the status shows 204 No Content.

7. Confirm the body is empty.

Writing test scripts

Add automated tests to verify 204 behavior:

pm.test("Status code is 204", function () {
    pm.response.to.have.status(204);
});

pm.test("Response has no body", function () {
    pm.expect(pm.response.text()).to.equal("");
});

pm.test("Content-Length is zero or absent", function () {
    const contentLength = pm.response.headers.get("Content-Length");
    if (contentLength) {
        pm.expect(contentLength).to.equal("0");
    }
});

Mock servers

Create a mock server to simulate 204 responses during development:

1. Create a new collection.

2. Add an example response to your request.

3. Set the status code to 204 No Content.

4. Leave the body empty.

5. Add relevant headers.

6. Create a mock server from the collection.

This lets you develop against the API before the backend is ready.

Best practices

Following these guidelines ensures your API uses 204 appropriately.

When to return 204

Return 204 when:

• The operation succeeded.

• There’s genuinely nothing useful to return.

• The client already knows the outcome.

• Returning data would be redundant.

When NOT to return 204

Don’t use 204 when:

• The client needs confirmation details.

• A new resource was created (use 201).

• Partial results or status updates are valuable.

• Error information needs to be conveyed.

Keep responses truly empty

When returning 204, the body must be empty. Don’t send:

❌ HTTP/1.1 204 No Content
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "message": "Successfully deleted"
}

This violates the HTTP specification. If you need to send a message, use 200:

✅ HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "message": "Successfully deleted",
  "deleted_at": "2024-11-13T10:30:00Z"
}

Be consistent across your API

Establish clear patterns for when you return 204 versus 200. Document these decisions and apply them consistently across all endpoints.

Common mistakes to avoid

Returning a body with 204

The most common mistake is including content in a 204 response. This confuses clients and violates the HTTP specification. If you need to send data, use 200.

Using 204 for errors

Never use 204 for errors or failures. If a resource doesn’t exist, return 404, not 204.

Inconsistent status codes

Don’t alternate between 200 and 204 for the same operation. Pick one and use it consistently.

Overusing 204

Not every successful operation needs a 204. If returning data adds value for the client, use 200:

PATCH /api/users/123 HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "email": "[email protected]"
}

✅ HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "id": "123",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "updated_at": "2024-11-13T10:30:00Z"
}

This confirms the update and shows the new timestamp.

Client-side handling

When your application receives a 204, handle it appropriately.

JavaScript fetch example

fetch('https://example.com/notifications/123/dismiss', {
  method: 'DELETE',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer token123'
  }
})
.then(response => {
  if (response.status === 204) {
    console.log('Notification dismissed successfully');
    updateUI();
  } else if (response.ok) {
    return response.json();
  } else {
    throw new Error('Request failed');
  }
})
.catch(error => {
  console.error('Error:', error);
});

Axios example

axios.delete('https://example.com/sessions/current')
  .then(response => {
    if (response.status === 204) {
      console.log('Logged out successfully');
      redirectToLogin();
    }
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error('Logout failed:', error);
  });

FAQs

Question	Answer
What does 204 mean?	Request succeeded with no content to return
When should I use 204?	For successful DELETE, PUT, or PATCH requests where no data needs to be returned
Can 204 have a response body?	No, it must be empty
Is 204 an error?	No, it’s a success code (2xx family)
Should I use 204 or 200?	Use 204 when there’s nothing to return, 200 when returning data adds value

The 204 response code communicates success without unnecessary data transfer, reducing bandwidth and simplifying client-side processing. Use it thoughtfully for operations where silence is the best response, ensuring your endpoints remain both performant and semantically correct.

When designing your endpoints, consider what information your clients actually need. Sometimes the most elegant response is no response at all, just a simple 204 to confirm everything worked perfectly.