What does the HTTP status 304 mean?

What does the HTTP status 304 mean?

• A. Not Found; the resource is missing.
• B. Not Modified; the cached version is still valid and can be used.
• C. Unauthorized; authentication required.
• D. Bad Gateway; upstream server error.

Answer: (B)

HTTP status 304 is about caching. It means the resource you asked for hasn’t changed since your last fetch, so you should use the copy you already have cached. When the client sends a conditional request (like If-Modified-Since or If-None-Match), the server checks if the resource changed. If it hasn’t, the server replies with 304 Not Modified and sends no body, just headers, letting the client reuse its cached version and save bandwidth. This isn’t an error; it’s a signal that the cached data is still good. Other common codes have different meanings: Not Found means the resource can’t be found at all, Unauthorized means authentication is required, and Bad Gateway indicates a problem with an upstream server.

HTTP status 304 is about caching. It means the resource you asked for hasn’t changed since your last fetch, so you should use the copy you already have cached. When the client sends a conditional request (like If-Modified-Since or If-None-Match), the server checks if the resource changed. If it hasn’t, the server replies with 304 Not Modified and sends no body, just headers, letting the client reuse its cached version and save bandwidth. This isn’t an error; it’s a signal that the cached data is still good.

Other common codes have different meanings: Not Found means the resource can’t be found at all, Unauthorized means authentication is required, and Bad Gateway indicates a problem with an upstream server.