Required request body is missing

Q: Provide a JSON body in the request

When to use: Use this when your controller requires @RequestBody but the client sent nothing.. The @RequestBody annotation mandates that the HTTP request contains a body. You must provide a valid JSON payload matching your DTO.

Q: Make the body optional

When to use: Use this if the payload is genuinely optional for your endpoint's logic.. Add required = false to the @RequestBody annotation. You must then handle the null case in your service layer.

Q: Fix Content-Length header issues

When to use: Use this if you are sending a body but Spring still says it's missing.. Sometimes proxies or API gateways strip the body but leave the Content-Type header. Ensure the Content-Length header is correctly set by your client.

🔴 The Error You're Seeing

Confirm this matches your console output. If it does, you're in the right place.

ERROR LOG

2026-02-14 12:15:10.220  WARN 8842 --- [nio-8080-exec-4] .w.s.m.s.DefaultHandlerExceptionResolver : Resolved [org.springframework.http.converter.HttpMessageNotReadableException: Required request body is missing: public org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity<com.devinhyderabad.dto.UserRequest> com.devinhyderabad.controller.UserController.createUser(com.devinhyderabad.dto.UserRequest)]

⚡ Quick Fix Works 80% of the time

Ensure you are sending a valid JSON object in the 'Body' tab of your API client.

// Postman -> Body -> raw -> JSON
{
    "name": "Deva",
    "email": "deva@devinhyderabad.com"
}

🛠️ Solutions (3 Ways to Fix)

Solution 1✓ Most common cause

Provide a JSON body in the request

👉 Use this when your controller requires @RequestBody but the client sent nothing.

The @RequestBody annotation mandates that the HTTP request contains a body. You must provide a valid JSON payload matching your DTO.

// Ensure your API client has a body. Example curl:
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/users   -H "Content-Type: application/json"   -d '{"name":"Deva"}'

Solution 2

Make the body optional

👉 Use this if the payload is genuinely optional for your endpoint's logic.

Add required = false to the @RequestBody annotation. You must then handle the null case in your service layer.

@PostMapping("/users")
public ResponseEntity<?> createUser(@RequestBody(required = false) UserRequest request) {
    if (request == null) {
        return ResponseEntity.badRequest().body("Body is required");
    }
    // ...
}

Solution 3

Fix Content-Length header issues

👉 Use this if you are sending a body but Spring still says it's missing.

Sometimes proxies or API gateways strip the body but leave the Content-Type header. Ensure the Content-Length header is correctly set by your client.

// Ensure your HTTP client is not stripping the body.
// In fetch/axios, ensure you are stringifying the JSON:
// axios.post('/api/users', JSON.stringify(data))

📋 Version Notes

Spring Boot 2.x

Throws HttpMessageNotReadableException.

Spring Boot 3.x

Throws HttpMessageNotReadableException, but message format is slightly different.

🧠 Why this Happens

Tap to expand the deep technical explanation

Your controller method is annotated with @RequestBody, telling Spring to map the incoming HTTP request body to a Java object. However, the HTTP request arrived with an entirely empty body, so Spring had nothing to map.

The HITEC City Parking Spot Analogy:

Imagine ordering a custom suit from a tailor, but when you show up for the fitting, you refuse to give them your measurements. The tailor cannot proceed without the required input.

🛡️ How to Prevent This Next Time

Always ensure your API clients send a body for POST/PUT/PATCH requests, even if it's just an empty JSON object {}.