410
4xx Client ErrorGone
The resource is permanently gone with no forwarding address.
410 Gone is a deliberate, permanent 404: the resource existed, it was removed on purpose, and there's no forwarding address. The distinction matters for SEO. Google treats 410 as a stronger removal signal and tends to drop the URL from its index faster than a 404. Use it for content you've retired for good.
What 410 looks like on the wire
GET /api/v1/reports HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com
HTTP/1.1 410 Gone
Content-Type: application/json
{"error": "API v1 was retired on 2026-01-01. Use /api/v2 instead."}About 4xx Client Error
The request has a problem the client needs to fix, like a bad URL, missing auth, or invalid input.
How to fix 410 Gone
- Use 410 instead of 404 when you want search engines to deindex a removed page quickly.
- If the content moved rather than died, send a 301 redirect instead.
- Clean up internal links so visitors don't keep landing on retired URLs.
Where it's defined
410 Gone is defined in RFC 9110 §15.5.11. MDN's 410 reference covers browser behavior and examples.