HTTP 204 — No Content
HTTP 200 by another shape: the action succeeded but there is deliberately nothing to send back. The response must not carry a body, which makes it the efficient answer for state changes that need no echo.
When 204 shows up
- DELETE endpoints after a successful removal.
- PUT/PATCH updates where the client already knows the resulting state.
Mocking a 204 response
A response with this status can be faked end to end with a local mock rule — no backend changes needed. The configuration below mirrors the rule fields the ApiSimul editor uses (method, path, status, delay in milliseconds, response body):
{
"method": "GET",
"path": "/api/items/{{param.id}}",
"status": 204,
"delay": 200,
"enabled": true,
"body": null
}Dynamic placeholders such as {{random.name}}, {{string.uuid}} or {{number.int 1 100}} can appear inside the body to vary each response, which keeps client-side list rendering and retry logic honest during development.
Frequently asked questions
What does HTTP 204 mean?
The operation succeeded and the response has no body. Clients should not expect a payload and should rely on the status alone.
How can I test a 204 response without a real backend?
Define a mock rule with the method and path your client requests and set the status to 204. The example configuration above returns this response after the listed delay, so the client exercises its 204 handling exactly as it would against a live server.
Related status codes
Need the response in your own project? Spin up rules for any status with the ApiSimul mock server, or browse every status code page.