HTTP 415 Unsupported Media Type: What It Means and When You See It
Quick Answer
HTTP 415 Unsupported Media Type means the server refuses the request because the payload format is not supported. Check the Content-Type header.
Why HTTP 415 Occurs
HTTP 415 Unsupported Media Type means the server refuses the request because the Content-Type header does not match what the endpoint expects. Common causes: sending JSON without Content-Type: application/json, sending form data to an endpoint expecting JSON, uploading an image type the server does not accept, and using the wrong charset. The Accept header in the request and the Content-Type in the response are separate - 415 is about the request body format.
Fixing HTTP 415 Errors
Add the correct Content-Type header: curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"key":"val"}' URL. For file uploads: Content-Type: multipart/form-data (set automatically by browsers). For URL-encoded forms: Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded. If uploading images, check the server's accepted formats (JPEG, PNG, WebP). In Express, the express.json() middleware only parses requests with Content-Type: application/json.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Related Values
100
HTTP 100 Continue means the server has received the request headers and the client should proceed to send the request body. It is an interim response used to inform the client to continue.
101
HTTP 101 Switching Protocols indicates the server is switching to the protocol specified in the Upgrade header field. Commonly used when upgrading to WebSocket connections.
200
HTTP 200 OK is the standard success response. The request has succeeded and the server has returned the requested resource in the response body.
201
HTTP 201 Created means the request succeeded and a new resource was created as a result. The Location header typically points to the new resource URL.