410 Gone (HTTP Status Code 410)

HTTP 410 Gone status code is a client error response code in the HTTP protocol. It indicates that the resource requested by the client is permanently unavailable on the server. This differs from the 404 Not Found status code, which suggests that the resource may never have existed or that the server is unaware of its location.

Key Points About HTTP 410 Gone Status Code

Permanent Deletion: The server returns a 410 Gone status code when a resource has been permanently deleted. This means the resource once existed but is no longer available and will not be reintroduced in the future.
Difference from 404: The 404 Not Found status code is used when a resource has never existed or when the server cannot locate it. In contrast, 410 Gone explicitly indicates that the resource was once available but has been permanently removed.
Caching Behavior: A 410 Gone response is cacheable by default. This allows clients (such as browsers) to cache this status code, enabling them to display the 410 Gone error directly in future requests for the same resource without re-querying the server.
Link Updates: If a resource has been permanently deleted, all links pointing to that resource should be considered outdated. Clients with link-editing capabilities (like search engines and site administrators) should remove all references to this address after obtaining user permission.
SEO Impact: For search engine optimization (SEO), the 410 Gone status code serves as an important signal, indicating to search engines that the resource has been permanently removed. Search engine crawlers will remove the resource from their indexes upon encountering a 410 Gone status code.

Common Use Cases

Pages deleted after the conclusion of time-limited promotions or events.
User-generated content deleted, such as when a user deactivates their account on a blogging platform.
Certain pages permanently removed due to website redesigns or changes in content strategy.

Server Configuration

Server administrators can configure the server to return a 410 Gone status code under specific conditions, such as when a file or directory is deleted.

Client Behavior

Upon receiving a 410 Gone response, clients should update their internal data, remove references to the deleted resource, and may notify users that the resource is no longer available.

Standard Definition

The definition of the HTTP 410 Gone status code is detailed in the RFC 7231 document, which provides a standard HTTP response code.

In summary, the HTTP 410 Gone status code is a clear indication that the requested resource has been permanently deleted, and clients should not attempt to retrieve it again.