When does RFC 9110 prefer 410 (Gone) over 404 (Not Found)?
When the resource was deleted by a DELETE request rather than by administrative action
When the resource once existed, whether or not its absence is permanent
When the server wants the client to stop retrying, regardless of permanence
When the origin server knows the condition is likely to be permanent✓Correct answer
Explanation
The distinguishing criterion is knowledge of likely permanence, not the history of the resource or the mechanism of removal. If the server does not know, or has no facility to determine, whether the condition is permanent, 404 is the code to use.