Unsupported Media Type
4xx Client Error
Last updated:
The server refuses to process the request because the payload format is unsupported.
Description
If a client POSTs application/xml to an endpoint that only accepts application/json, return 415.
When to use
Return 415 for Content-Type mismatches in POST/PUT/PATCH requests.
Specification
RFC 9110 §15.5.16
Examples
HTTP response
HTTP/1.1 415 Unsupported Media Type
Content-Type: application/json
{"error":"Unsupported Media Type"}Node.js (Express)
res.status(415).json({ error: "Unsupported Media Type" });Go (net/http)
w.WriteHeader(http.StatusUnsupportedMediaType)
Python (Flask)
return jsonify({"error": "Unsupported Media Type"}), 415Related status codes
All 4xx codes
400 Bad Request401 Unauthorized403 Forbidden404 Not Found405 Method Not Allowed406 Not Acceptable408 Request Timeout409 Conflict410 Gone411 Length Required412 Precondition Failed413 Payload Too Large414 URI Too Long415 Unsupported Media Type418 I'm a teapot422 Unprocessable Entity425 Too Early428 Precondition Required429 Too Many Requests431 Request Header Fields Too Large451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons