No Content

Overview

204 No Content means the request succeeded but there is no body to return. The server processed the action fine, and the client should keep its current view or state as is.

It reports success while skipping data transfer, saving bandwidth, and is widely used for DELETE and state-changing PUT/PATCH responses.

When it happens

• It is the classic response to a successful DELETE that has no representation to return.
• It also fits writes that need no result body — saving settings, toggling a like, marking something as read.

Request / Response example

DELETE /api/users/42 HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com
Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOi...

HTTP/1.1 204 No Content
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2026 09:12:00 GMT

In code

app.delete('/api/users/:id', (req, res) => {
  db.remove(req.params.id);
  res.status(204).end(); // no body
});

@app.delete('/api/users/<int:uid>')
def remove(uid):
    db.delete(uid)
    return '', 204

Notes

• A 204 must carry no body, so Content-Length is 0 or omitted; attaching a body violates the spec.
• Browsers do not re-render the current document on a 204, which is handy when you want a form submission to leave the page unchanged.
• Use 200 for a success that includes a body, and 205 Reset Content for a success where the form should be cleared.

Related status codes

Related headers

Specification