ErrorFindly
3043xx RedirectionNone

HTTP 304 Not Modified

Defined in RFC 7232

What Does HTTP 304 Mean?

The resource has not been modified since the last request. The client can use its cached version.

Common Causes

  1. 1Browser cache validation with If-None-Match/ETag
  2. 2Conditional request with If-Modified-Since header
  3. 3CDN cache validation with origin server

Impact

  • ⚠Page loads faster from browser cache
  • ⚠No visible difference — content is unchanged

Developer Fix

For web developers and application engineers

  1. 1Implement proper ETag or Last-Modified headers
  2. 2Set appropriate Cache-Control directives
  3. 3Ensure conditional request headers are sent correctly

Server Admin Fix

For system administrators and DevOps engineers

  1. 1Configure proper caching headers on the server
  2. 2Verify ETag generation is consistent
  3. 3Monitor cache hit rates for optimization

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 304 a redirect?
No, despite being in the 3xx range. It instructs the client to use its cached copy of the resource rather than downloading it again, saving bandwidth and improving performance.
Why am I getting 304 instead of 200?
Your browser has a cached copy and sent conditional headers (If-None-Match or If-Modified-Since). The server confirmed the content hasn't changed, so you use the cache. This is normal and efficient.

Related HTTP Status Codes

200OK412Precondition Failed

About the Author

Web Infrastructure Team

Verified against official RFC specifications and real-world server configurations. HTTP status code behavior confirmed across Apache, Nginx, and Cloudflare.