My question is, in the case where there are no "next" messages do I respond with an HTTP 204 (No Response) or should I simply return {}? What's the best practice in this situation?

Jan 5, 2026 · This response is sent when the requested content has been permanently deleted from server, with no forwarding address. Clients are expected to remove their caches and links to the …

Sep 28, 2017 · I'd argue that returning a 204 is inappropriate, as you are returning content. It's just that the content has no results, which is distinct from returning no content at all.

Sep 18, 2025 · If not, even a well-written backend feels broken. In this article, we’ll explore the best practices for returning responses in REST APIs, with examples and patterns you can apply right away.

Jul 1, 2022 · Handling no results in a collection endpoint and at a singular resource can be a bit of a tricky situation. When a collection endpoint has no resources to return it should return a valid …

Jun 2, 2021 · The 204 (No Content) status code indicates that the server has successfully fulfilled the request and that there is no additional content to send in the response payload body.

Aug 27, 2022 · So at the HTTP level, the answers to your question are easy: if there's a current representation, then you reply to GET requests with a 200 status and copy the current representation …

May 11, 2024 · In this tutorial, we’ll learn about some of the best practices for handling REST API errors, including useful approaches for providing users with relevant information, examples from large-scale …

4 days ago · 204 No Content Success, but nothing to return. The request worked, there’s just no response body.

Oct 25, 2018 · 404 is the appropriate status code for this. You're trying to represent a 'primary customer' as a resource, but in some cases this relationship doesn't exists. This situation is pretty clear, it …