HTTP 205 Reset Content

The request succeeded and the client should reset the view that sent it — clear the form, so the user can enter another. There is never a body.

Defined in RFC 9110 §15.3.6 — 205 Reset Content · MDN reference

Where you meet HTTP 205 in production

Data-entry style flows — submit a record, get a blank form back for the next one. In practice most APIs use 204 and leave the reset to the frontend, so 205 is uncommon outside older form-centric systems.

Why you would test it

Like 204, it breaks any client that parses JSON unconditionally. Unlike 204 it carries an instruction, and few frontends honour it; test whether yours resets or does nothing.

What your client should do about a 205

Do not read a body; there is none, and the server must not send one. Clear the input state that produced the request. If you cannot reset anything meaningful, treat it as 204.

205 versus the codes it gets confused with

Endpoints that return 205

1 endpoint in this playground answers with 205. Every one is free, needs no signup, and can be called from the browser or with curl.

Questions about HTTP 205

Can a 205 response have a body?
No. HTTP forbids content in a 205, and servers that send one are non-compliant; some clients will misread the next response on the same connection.
Does fetch() treat 205 as ok?
Yes — response.ok is true for any 2xx. Calling response.json() on it throws, because the body is empty.

Other success codes

All HTTP status codes · All 39 mock REST APIs · Getting started guide

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