410 Gone
4xx Client Error
RFC 9110
It existed. It doesn't anymore. This is final.
What 410 Gone means {#what}
The resource was permanently deleted and there’s no forwarding address. Unlike 404, 410 explicitly communicates permanence — search engines should remove it from their index. In practice, most APIs just return 404 for deleted resources.
When you’ll see a 410 {#when}
- Intentionally decommissioned API endpoints
- Permanently deleted content with an explicit tombstone
When to use 410 {#use}
- Use instead of 404 when you want to explicitly signal permanent removal (useful for SEO or API deprecation notices)
- The HTTP spec mentions it for “limited-time, promotional services” but it’s broadly applicable