HTTP 401 Unauthorized vs 410 Gone
Both HTTP 401 (Unauthorized) and 410 (Gone) belong to the 4xx Client Error category. 401 indicates that the request requires user authentication. The response includes a WWW-Authenticate header indicating the authentication scheme. Meanwhile, 410 means that the resource is permanently gone and will not be available again. Unlike 404, this is intentional and permanent.
Description
The request requires user authentication. The response includes a WWW-Authenticate header indicating the authentication scheme.
When You See It
When accessing a protected resource without credentials or with expired tokens.
How to Fix
Include valid authentication credentials (API key, Bearer token, Basic auth) in the Authorization header.
Description
The resource is permanently gone and will not be available again. Unlike 404, this is intentional and permanent.
When You See It
When a resource has been deliberately removed and should be de-indexed by search engines.
How to Fix
Remove references to this URL. Search engines will de-index the page.
Key Differences
HTTP 401: The request requires user authentication. The response includes a WWW-Authenticate header indicating the authentication scheme.
HTTP 410: The resource is permanently gone and will not be available again. Unlike 404, this is intentional and permanent.
You encounter 401 when when accessing a protected resource without credentials or with expired tokens.
You encounter 410 when when a resource has been deliberately removed and should be de-indexed by search engines.
When to Use Which
For 401 (Unauthorized): Include valid authentication credentials (API key, Bearer token, Basic auth) in the Authorization header. For 410 (Gone): Remove references to this URL. Search engines will de-index the page.