HTTP 204 No Content — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

HTTP 204 No Content means the request was successful, but the server has no content to send back in the response body. You see 204 after actions like deleting a record, saving settings, or updating data without needing a response. 204 is a success code — it means the action worked perfectly.

Affected Models

All web browsers
All web servers
REST APIs
Mobile apps
Desktop applications

Common Causes

A record was successfully deleted from the server
User settings were saved but no updated data needs to be returned
A PUT or PATCH request updated a resource with no content needing to be returned
A form submission was processed and no redirect or content is required
A pre-flight CORS OPTIONS request was handled successfully

How to Fix It

If you are a regular user and your action completed silently (e.g., a delete or save), a 204 means it worked.

Apps often show a success toast or redirect after a 204 — you will not see the code directly.
If you are a developer, return 204 No Content when a DELETE or successful update has no data to return.

This is cleaner than returning 200 with an empty body or a generic success message.
Do not include a response body with a 204 response — it is forbidden by the HTTP specification.

Browsers and HTTP clients will ignore any body sent with a 204, which can cause confusion.
For CORS preflight requests, 204 is commonly used to indicate the preflight check passed successfully.

The browser sends an OPTIONS request — a 204 tells it to proceed with the actual request.
If a UI is not updating after receiving a 204, ensure the frontend is handling this response code — not only 200.

JavaScript fetch() and axios both receive 204 without error — the app logic must handle the 'no body' case.
If your API is returning 204 when the client needs data back, switch to 200 OK with the relevant data in the body.

Choose 204 only when there is genuinely nothing useful to return — prefer 200 with data when the client needs it.

When to Call a Professional

HTTP 204 is a success code — no action or professional help is needed. Developers should use 204 instead of 200 when a successful operation has no body to return — this is a REST API best practice. Note that 204 responses must not include a response body — sending one violates the HTTP specification.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between HTTP 200 and HTTP 204?

HTTP 200 OK means the request succeeded and the response includes a body with data. HTTP 204 No Content means the request succeeded but there is no data to return. Use 204 for operations like DELETE or silent updates where sending data back would be unnecessary.

Why does my browser show a blank page after receiving HTTP 204?

A 204 response instructs the browser not to navigate away or update the current page. If your browser shows a blank page, the web application may be incorrectly handling the 204 response. Normally, the page should stay as-is or show a success notification.

Can HTTP 204 be used for GET requests?

Technically yes, but it is almost never appropriate for GET requests. GET requests are designed to retrieve data — a 204 would mean the resource exists but has no content. For a GET with nothing to return, 404 Not Found (resource does not exist) or 200 with an empty body is more semantically correct.