415 Unsupported Media Type

What This Error Means

The media format of the requested data is not supported by the server.

Server refuses request because payload format is unsupported.

Common Causes

• Wrong Content-Type header
• Sending XML to JSON-only API
• Unsupported file format

How to Fix It (For Visitors)

• Check file format is supported

How to Fix It (For Developers/Admins)

• Set correct Content-Type header
• Check API accepts your data format
• Verify Accept header
• Convert to supported format

Code Examples

Here's how to return a 415 status code in various programming languages:

Python (Flask)

from flask import Flask, jsonify

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/endpoint')
def endpoint():
    return jsonify({"message": "Unsupported Media Type"}), 415

Node.js (Express)

const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.get('/endpoint', (req, res) => {
    res.status(415).json({ message: 'Unsupported Media Type' });
});

PHP

<?php
http_response_code(415);
header('Content-Type: application/json');
echo json_encode(['message' => 'Unsupported Media Type']);
?>

Go

package main

import (
    "encoding/json"
    "net/http"
)

func handler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
    w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
    w.WriteHeader(415)
    json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]string{
        "message": "Unsupported Media Type",
    })
}

Java (Spring Boot)

@GetMapping("/endpoint")
public ResponseEntity<Map<String, String>> endpoint() {
    Map<String, String> response = new HashMap<>();
    response.put("message", "Unsupported Media Type");
    return ResponseEntity.status(415).body(response);
}

Ruby (Sinatra)

get '/endpoint' do
    status 415
    json message: 'Unsupported Media Type'
end

Browser Compatibility

Browser	Support	Notes
Chrome	✓ Full Support	All versions
Firefox	✓ Full Support	All versions
Safari	✓ Full Support	All versions
Edge	✓ Full Support	All versions

Official Specification

This status code is defined in RFC 7231 Section 6.5.13.

View on IANA HTTP Status Code Registry →