How to Fix 404 Not Found Error When Using DELETE in Postman with Node.js and Express

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The Problem: DELETE Requests Failing

While you might successfully retrieve data with GET requests, the DELETE request is throwing an error. Here's what you're encountering:

Additional Error: Error Deleting entry: AxiosError {message: 'Request failed with status code 404'}

In your case, this error arises when trying to delete entries in a simple Express application. Let's explore how to troubleshoot and fix this issue.

Identifying the Root Cause

The primary reason for the 404 error on DELETE requests is likely a routing mismatch. Here’s what happens in your code:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conflicting Sub-Routing: Within your entryController, you’ve configured DELETE routes like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

The Problematic Overlap

Due to the configuration above, when you make a DELETE request to /entries/2, your application interprets that request as the following combined route:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This route does not exist, which results in the server returning a 404 Not Found error.

The Solution: Correcting the Route

To address the issue, you only need to adjust the DELETE route in your entryController. Here’s how to do it:

Modify the DELETE Route: Remove the redundant entries segment from the DELETE route definition:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

With this simple change, your DELETE request will better align with the route your application is configured to handle.

Conclusion

By ensuring that your route definitions do not contain overlapping path segments, you can prevent common errors such as 404 Not Found during DELETE requests. Always remember that clarity in your routing setup makes debugging simpler and keeps your API functioning correctly.

Final Words

We hope this guide helps you fix your DELETE request issues! If you continue to encounter problems, ensure that similar logical errors aren’t present elsewhere in your application. Happy coding!