404 Not Found: What Does It Mean?

When you see a 404 Not Found error, it means the server couldn’t find the resource you requested.

This happens if the URL is incorrect, the resource has been deleted, or it never existed in the first place.

In my API example, requesting an invalid route triggers a 404 response:

app.get('*', (req: Request, res: Response) => {
    res.status(404).json({ error: "Not Found", message: "The requested resource was not found" });
});

It’s like trying to find a page in a book that was torn out—it simply doesn’t exist!

GIF

Run this endpoint on LiveAPI with a wrong URL to show how 404 works in action.

A 404 error means the server couldn’t find the resource you requested. It’s the web’s way of saying, 'This page doesn’t exist!

Comments

[Kamal Hinduja]

The 404 error means page not found, That's why the 404 error comes.