diff --git a/app/controllers/aspects_controller.rb b/app/controllers/aspects_controller.rb
index ce21bd95d4776da3ed38ea8303d2a2f6b0518ace..73bdf8cd280956f240a9e45fb32be70eb1199e20 100644
--- a/app/controllers/aspects_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/aspects_controller.rb
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class AspectsController < ApplicationController
 
       render json: result
     else
-      render nothing: true, status: 422
+      head :unprocessable_entity
     end
   end
 
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ class AspectsController < ApplicationController
     params[:ordered_aspect_ids].each_with_index do |id, i|
       current_user.aspects.find(id).update_attributes(order_id: i)
     end
-    render nothing: true
+    head :no_content
   end
 
   def toggle_chat_privilege
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ class AspectsController < ApplicationController
 
     @aspect.chat_enabled = !@aspect.chat_enabled
     @aspect.save
-    render :nothing => true
+    head :no_content
   end
 
   def toggle_contact_visibility
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ class AspectsController < ApplicationController
       @aspect.contacts_visible = true
     end
     @aspect.save
-    render :nothing => true
+    head :no_content
   end
 
   private
diff --git a/app/controllers/blocks_controller.rb b/app/controllers/blocks_controller.rb
index d53ee579bc77732221ed5fff51491e66b30ee96a..aa8f43cbba37a7ed3d59c00a108a2b83133b5387 100644
--- a/app/controllers/blocks_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/blocks_controller.rb
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ class BlocksController < ApplicationController
     disconnect_if_contact(block.person) if block.save
 
     respond_with do |format|
-      format.json{ render :nothing => true, :status => 204 }
+      format.json { head :no_content }
     end
   end
 
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ class BlocksController < ApplicationController
     current_user.blocks.find(params[:id]).delete
 
     respond_with do |format|
-      format.json{ render :nothing => true, :status => 204 }
+      format.json { head :no_content }
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/app/controllers/comments_controller.rb b/app/controllers/comments_controller.rb
index 2e94ffd100a906b37484698de0797b405f9d538a..214f484bb5b3bc96001f56148ffec2fdb2d26bbf 100644
--- a/app/controllers/comments_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/comments_controller.rb
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ class CommentsController < ApplicationController
   respond_to :html, :mobile, :json
 
   rescue_from ActiveRecord::RecordNotFound do
-    render nothing: true, status: 404
+    head :not_found
   end
 
   def create
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class CommentsController < ApplicationController
   def respond_create_success(comment)
     respond_to do |format|
       format.json { render json: CommentPresenter.new(comment), status: 201 }
-      format.html { render nothing: true, status: 201 }
+      format.html { head :created }
       format.mobile { render partial: "comment", locals: {comment: comment} }
     end
   end
@@ -65,16 +65,16 @@ class CommentsController < ApplicationController
   def respond_destroy_success
     respond_to do |format|
       format.mobile { redirect_back fallback_location: stream_path }
-      format.js { render nothing: true, status: 204 }
-      format.json { render nothing: true, status: 204 }
+      format.js { head :no_content }
+      format.json { head :no_content }
     end
   end
 
   def respond_destroy_error
     respond_to do |format|
       format.mobile { redirect_back fallback_location: stream_path }
-      format.js { render nothing: true, status: 403 }
-      format.json { render nothing: true, status: 403 }
+      format.js { head :forbidden }
+      format.json { head :forbidden }
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/app/controllers/conversations_controller.rb b/app/controllers/conversations_controller.rb
index c69b6d7d811861811149b377e9fc5b10601abbf3..16451283997e1ffef9e69f43e7127bc2fb658a69 100644
--- a/app/controllers/conversations_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/conversations_controller.rb
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ class ConversationsController < ApplicationController
       @conversation.set_read(current_user)
       render partial: "conversations/show", locals: {conversation: @conversation}
     else
-      render nothing: true, status: 404
+      head :not_found
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/app/controllers/likes_controller.rb b/app/controllers/likes_controller.rb
index 20fe1dd690dc2a1efe2113409d7141c812002ab1..de508f35146f72231043224a9539bddf314002ea 100644
--- a/app/controllers/likes_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/likes_controller.rb
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ class LikesController < ApplicationController
     render text: I18n.t("likes.create.error"), status: 422
   else
     respond_to do |format|
-      format.html { render nothing: true, status: 201 }
+      format.html { head :created }
       format.mobile { redirect_to post_path(like.post_id) }
       format.json { render json: like.as_api_response(:backbone), status: 201 }
     end
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ class LikesController < ApplicationController
 
   def destroy
     if like_service.destroy(params[:id])
-      render nothing: true, status: 204
+      head :no_content
     else
       render text: I18n.t("likes.destroy.error"), status: 404
     end
diff --git a/app/controllers/participations_controller.rb b/app/controllers/participations_controller.rb
index 95e8a2c0382481dc928ac44a6a546ca6d3e55f4a..1cb9b7b40f2798bc0ae44fb01c41fdfc94585a79 100644
--- a/app/controllers/participations_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/participations_controller.rb
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ class ParticipationsController < ApplicationController
     post = current_user.find_visible_shareable_by_id(Post, params[:post_id])
     if post
       current_user.participate! post
-      render nothing: true, status: :created
+      head :created
     else
-      render nothing: true, status: :forbidden
+      head :forbidden
     end
   end
 
@@ -15,9 +15,9 @@ class ParticipationsController < ApplicationController
     participation = current_user.participations.find_by target_id: params[:post_id]
     if participation
       participation.destroy
-      render nothing: true, status: :ok
+      head :ok
     else
-      render nothing: true, status: :unprocessable_entity
+      head :unprocessable_entity
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/app/controllers/people_controller.rb b/app/controllers/people_controller.rb
index 7c3d5a2e7b4e0ec45af5b710c8b6a5bf0603d27b..f42a4d90850d06bd3c40479a3d0557c5427b5537 100644
--- a/app/controllers/people_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/people_controller.rb
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ class PeopleController < ApplicationController
   rescue_from Diaspora::AccountClosed do
     respond_to do |format|
       format.any { redirect_back fallback_location: root_path, notice: t("people.show.closed_account") }
-      format.json { render :nothing => true, :status => 410 } # 410 GONE
+      format.json { head :gone }
     end
   end
 
@@ -115,15 +115,15 @@ class PeopleController < ApplicationController
   def retrieve_remote
     if params[:diaspora_handle]
       Workers::FetchWebfinger.perform_async(params[:diaspora_handle])
-      render :nothing => true
+      head :ok
     else
-      render :nothing => true, :status => 422
+      head :unprocessable_entity
     end
   end
 
   def contacts
     respond_to do |format|
-      format.json { render nothing: true, status: 406 }
+      format.json { head :not_acceptable }
 
       format.any do
         @person = Person.find_by_guid(params[:person_id])
diff --git a/app/controllers/photos_controller.rb b/app/controllers/photos_controller.rb
index d4da48654447cb2cd2a35ac42ff48f509b08d662..a95fdb42001d599fc3df14b29c5ed6ea8bcedf41 100644
--- a/app/controllers/photos_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/photos_controller.rb
@@ -66,10 +66,10 @@ class PhotosController < ApplicationController
                             :status => 201}
         end
       else
-        render :nothing => true, :status => 422
+        head :unprocessable_entity
       end
     else
-      render :nothing => true, :status => 422
+      head :unprocessable_entity
     end
   end
 
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ class PhotosController < ApplicationController
       current_user.retract(photo)
 
       respond_to do |format|
-        format.json{ render :nothing => true, :status => 204 }
+        format.json { head :no_content }
         format.html do
           flash[:notice] = I18n.t 'photos.destroy.notice'
           if StatusMessage.find_by_guid(photo.status_message_guid)
diff --git a/app/controllers/poll_participations_controller.rb b/app/controllers/poll_participations_controller.rb
index ae8eea8355269320ec5de289e44de51f1c638201..a8b874fca1662ba3c562201a11aef17fa7ba3bb6 100644
--- a/app/controllers/poll_participations_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/poll_participations_controller.rb
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ class PollParticipationsController < ApplicationController
   rescue ActiveRecord::RecordInvalid
     respond_to do |format|
       format.mobile { redirect_to stream_path }
-      format.json { render :nothing => true, :status => 403 }
+      format.json { head :forbidden }
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/app/controllers/posts_controller.rb b/app/controllers/posts_controller.rb
index 6435ed3ad5708e823fc3d5a8d28e43b7b86ce785..1629fb7656a318cc6ab8a298c5662498793443ef 100644
--- a/app/controllers/posts_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/posts_controller.rb
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ class PostsController < ApplicationController
     oembed = params.slice(:format, :maxheight, :minheight)
     render json: OEmbedPresenter.new(post, oembed)
   rescue
-    render nothing: true, status: 404
+    head :not_found
   end
 
   def interactions
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ class PostsController < ApplicationController
         post = post_service.find!(params[:id])
         render json: PostInteractionPresenter.new(post, current_user)
       }
-      format.any { render nothing: true, status: 406 }
+      format.any { head :not_acceptable }
     end
   end
 
@@ -55,19 +55,19 @@ class PostsController < ApplicationController
         if params[:id].present? && params[:q].present?
           render json: post_service.mentionable_in_comment(params[:id], params[:q])
         else
-          render nothing: true, status: 204
+          head :no_content
         end
       }
-      format.any { render nothing: true, status: 406 }
+      format.any { head :not_acceptable }
     end
   rescue ActiveRecord::RecordNotFound
-    render nothing: true, status: 404
+    head :not_found
   end
 
   def destroy
     post_service.destroy(params[:id])
     respond_to do |format|
-      format.json { render nothing: true, status: 204 }
+      format.json { head :no_content }
       format.any { redirect_to stream_path }
     end
   end
diff --git a/app/controllers/profiles_controller.rb b/app/controllers/profiles_controller.rb
index 2ff157c49a130c7c4167ad5b8ce630e94c6aecdc..9daa4640d1ece23179267b42c2f0f92e2016980b 100644
--- a/app/controllers/profiles_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/profiles_controller.rb
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ class ProfilesController < ApplicationController
     end
 
     respond_to do |format|
-      format.js { render :nothing => true, :status => 200 }
+      format.js { head :ok }
       format.any {
         if current_user.getting_started?
           redirect_to getting_started_path
diff --git a/app/controllers/report_controller.rb b/app/controllers/report_controller.rb
index 8e0826c1f4ea271a45ce061e2a5d9559a4f37835..f51d2d043050e1aabcfb6b343ff0bf77a0a85bee 100644
--- a/app/controllers/report_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/report_controller.rb
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ class ReportController < ApplicationController
     if report.save
       render json: true, status: 200
     else
-      render nothing: true, status: 409
+      head :conflict
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/app/controllers/tag_followings_controller.rb b/app/controllers/tag_followings_controller.rb
index 72ca6fd2405c04eea775233390e6494eafe38008..a82d16dd94b03e128fd67b5ff3952a66df49f54f 100644
--- a/app/controllers/tag_followings_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/tag_followings_controller.rb
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ class TagFollowingsController < ApplicationController
     name_normalized = ActsAsTaggableOn::Tag.normalize(params['name'])
 
     if name_normalized.nil? || name_normalized.empty?
-      render :nothing => true, :status => 403
+      head :forbidden
     else
       @tag = ActsAsTaggableOn::Tag.find_or_create_by(name: name_normalized)
       @tag_following = current_user.tag_followings.new(:tag_id => @tag.id)
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ class TagFollowingsController < ApplicationController
       if @tag_following.save
         render :json => @tag.to_json, :status => 201
       else
-        render :nothing => true, :status => 403
+        head :forbidden
       end
     end
   end
@@ -35,11 +35,11 @@ class TagFollowingsController < ApplicationController
 
     if tag_following && tag_following.destroy
       respond_to do |format|
-        format.any(:js, :json) { render :nothing => true, :status => 204 }
+        format.any(:js, :json) { head :no_content }
       end
     else
       respond_to do |format|
-        format.any(:js, :json) {render :nothing => true, :status => 403}
+        format.any(:js, :json) { head :forbidden }
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/app/controllers/tags_controller.rb b/app/controllers/tags_controller.rb
index 30ddfec0005f25098d20bb736e50e61a0cbb78b5..d201fd905f015b2f61c1f13bc7769d401057da14 100644
--- a/app/controllers/tags_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/tags_controller.rb
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ class TagsController < ApplicationController
       end
     else
       respond_to do |format|
-        format.json{ render :nothing => true, :status => 422 }
-        format.html{ redirect_to tag_path('partytimeexcellent') }
+        format.json { head :unprocessable_entity }
+        format.html { redirect_to tag_path("partytimeexcellent") }
       end
     end
   end