JackieChun
Well-known member
By definition, a 404 message means that the page currently cannot be found but may come back in the future. It should be used when you don't know if the condition is temporary or permanent.
The 410 error is much more specific. The HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) 410 Gone client error response code indicates that access to the target resource is no longer available at the origin server and that this condition is likely to be permanent.
By design, XenForo threads, posts, members etc that are permanently deleted will not come back. Therefore, the 410 message is the appropriate server response.
Why does this matter?
The best practice for web admins is to parse through 404 URLs that your site returns on a regular basis (via Google Search Console or another method). Some 404'ed pages warrant measures, such as redirecting to another resource or URL reinstatement.
On the other hand, if the site returns a 410 on deleted content, there is nothing for the admin to fix, because the URL is, indeed, gone forever. It's a cemetery of URLs of sorts.
It would be a relatively small investment and effort to update the XenForo engine to return the correct message on deleted content in exchange for a significant result: helping keep the web organized and reducing work for web admins.
The 410 error is much more specific. The HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) 410 Gone client error response code indicates that access to the target resource is no longer available at the origin server and that this condition is likely to be permanent.
By design, XenForo threads, posts, members etc that are permanently deleted will not come back. Therefore, the 410 message is the appropriate server response.
Why does this matter?
The best practice for web admins is to parse through 404 URLs that your site returns on a regular basis (via Google Search Console or another method). Some 404'ed pages warrant measures, such as redirecting to another resource or URL reinstatement.
On the other hand, if the site returns a 410 on deleted content, there is nothing for the admin to fix, because the URL is, indeed, gone forever. It's a cemetery of URLs of sorts.
It would be a relatively small investment and effort to update the XenForo engine to return the correct message on deleted content in exchange for a significant result: helping keep the web organized and reducing work for web admins.
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