CyberCertPrepWeb App FundamentalsHTTP & Web BasicsEASYFree question
A server returns '410 Gone' for a deleted resource. How does this differ from '404 Not Found', and why might you choose 410?
- A.410 is for server errors; 404 is for client errors
- B.410 responses are cached permanently by browsers; 404 responses expire after 5 minutes
- C.410 requires authentication; 404 is served anonymously
- D.410 Gone means the resource existed but was intentionally and permanently deleted, and the server has no forwarding address. Unlike 404 (which could be a temporary missing resource or typo), 410 signals to crawlers to remove the URL from indexes and not retry. Use 410 when you want to definitively retire a URL
Why D is correct
410 Gone is for permanently deleted resources where the removal is intentional. Search engines remove 410 URLs from indexes faster than 404 (which might be a temporary error). For API versioning, 410 is semantically correct when an endpoint is retired: clients know retrying is futile. For resources deleted for legal or compliance reasons, 410 is more appropriate than 404 because it explicitly states the resource will not return.
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