What does HTTP status 415 (Unsupported Media) mean?

 
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HTTP_STATUS_UNSUPPORTED_MEDIA

The conflict can be in Content-Type, Content-Encoding, or the bytes themselves. It is distinct from 406, which concerns the formats the client is willing to receive.

Compare the declared media type and charset with the endpoint contract. Send the exact expected serialization and avoid setting JSON or form headers for a different body format.

RFC 9110: HTTP Semantics

Operational meaning of HTTP 415 for HTTP_STATUS_UNSUPPORTED_MEDIA

HTTP 415 (HTTP_STATUS_UNSUPPORTED_MEDIA) is a client-error response. AllStat records its meaning as “415 Unsupported Media Type”. For HTTP_STATUS_UNSUPPORTED_MEDIA, interpret it with the request method, selected representation, response headers, and the specification or product that defines the code; the number alone does not prove that application work completed.

Client and server handling for HTTP_STATUS_UNSUPPORTED_MEDIA

  • Treat HTTP_STATUS_UNSUPPORTED_MEDIA as a condition visible at the request boundary; inspect authentication, syntax, preconditions, routing, and resource state before retrying.
  • For HTTP_STATUS_UNSUPPORTED_MEDIA, preserve the response body and challenge or retry-related headers because they often carry the actionable reason.
  • For HTTP_STATUS_UNSUPPORTED_MEDIA, automatic retry is safe only when the method and status contract allow it and the request has been corrected.

For telemetry, record HTTP 415, method, authority, route template rather than secrets, response headers relevant to caching or retry, latency, upstream identity, and whether the response originated at the application or an intermediary.


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