When do you return NotFound from an MVC action?
PICTURE THIS: STACK VS QUEUE
Simple meaning
When the resource id does not exist or the user should not learn it exists.
WHY — Results instead of guessing?
Why interviewers care about Results:
on Results.
the situation, the default choice, and one exception - that reads as experience.
Name the idea, why it exists, then one short example.
End with when you use it and one common pitfall.
STEPS — What happens step by step?
Before you speak the answer, walk the interviewer through these steps:
- 1When the resource id
does not exist or the user should not learn it exists.
- 2Why it exists
I avoid leaking stack traces.
- 3Views can show a
friendly 404 page.
- 4Give an example
One tiny concrete case you can say aloud.
- 5Common mistake
What juniors usually get wrong.
- 6Close
When you pick this over the alternative.
EXAMPLE — See it in action
Here's a short line you can speak, broken into clear beats:
Note: Adapt this scaffold to your own project — keep it under 60–90 seconds.
Key takeaway
When the resource id does not exist or the user should not learn it exists. I avoid leaking stack traces.