HTTP 204 No Content — When to Use It in REST APIs

When to Return 204

Use 204 for successful DELETE operations, successful PUT/PATCH when you don't need to return the updated resource, and action endpoints (like /logout) that succeed with nothing to return.

HTTP Response Example

HTTP/1.1 204 No Content

Code Examples

app.delete('/users/:id', async (req, res) => {
  await db.users.delete(req.params.id)
  res.sendStatus(204) // No body
})

app.put('/settings', async (req, res) => {
  await db.settings.update(req.body)
  res.sendStatus(204)
})

// app/api/users/[id]/route.ts
export async function DELETE(
  request: Request,
  { params }: { params: Promise<{ id: string }> }
) {
  const { id } = await params
  await db.users.delete(id)
  return new Response(null, { status: 204 })
}

Related Status Codes