What is a 304?

The HTTP status code 304 is a server response code that indicates that a resource has not been modified since the last time it was requested. This status code is commonly used in response to conditional GET requests, where the client sends a request with an "If-Modified-Since" header to check if the resource has been updated.

When a server returns a 304 status code, it means that the client's cached version of the resource is still valid and can be used instead of fetching the resource again. This helps to reduce bandwidth usage and improve the performance of the web application.

Overall, the 304 status code is a way for servers to efficiently handle requests for unchanged resources and reduce unnecessary network traffic.