diff --git a/app/controllers/projects/blob_controller.rb b/app/controllers/projects/blob_controller.rb
index 2a6fe3b9c970c95293501383fc7814fca158129d..873c96a55233ca800c6ee65265c312037dfc3055 100644
--- a/app/controllers/projects/blob_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/projects/blob_controller.rb
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ class Projects::BlobController < Projects::ApplicationController
 
   def validate_diff_params
     if [:since, :to, :offset].any? { |key| params[key].blank? }
-      render nothing: true
+      head :ok
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/app/controllers/projects/branches_controller.rb b/app/controllers/projects/branches_controller.rb
index b7750f4517b89370e3e291737a9f01de679ab7a3..95a014d24da7afe3f3d12a635963fea596a4b9c2 100644
--- a/app/controllers/projects/branches_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/projects/branches_controller.rb
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ class Projects::BranchesController < Projects::ApplicationController
         redirect_to project_branches_path(@project), status: :see_other
       end
 
-      format.js { render nothing: true, status: result[:return_code] }
+      format.js { head result[:return_code] }
       format.json { render json: { message: result[:message] }, status: result[:return_code] }
     end
   end
diff --git a/app/controllers/projects/merge_requests_controller.rb b/app/controllers/projects/merge_requests_controller.rb
index 23d16fed7b96f18b7ec38b433231847bb73bd733..d521db79f85450ef65e4bb2148b3af8ddb55c0c8 100644
--- a/app/controllers/projects/merge_requests_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/projects/merge_requests_controller.rb
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ class Projects::MergeRequestsController < Projects::MergeRequests::ApplicationCo
   def rebase
     RebaseWorker.perform_async(@merge_request.id, current_user.id)
 
-    render nothing: true, status: :ok
+    head :ok
   end
 
   protected
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/rails5-deprecation-render-nothing.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/rails5-deprecation-render-nothing.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..32e2d5800c79709d6eedb82a80a1192b5da0fcde
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/rails5-deprecation-render-nothing.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+title: render :nothing option is deprecated, Use head method to respond with empty
+  response body.
+merge_request: 23311
+author: Jasper Maes
+type: other
diff --git a/spec/controllers/concerns/controller_with_cross_project_access_check_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/concerns/controller_with_cross_project_access_check_spec.rb
index d20471ef603f57f802758bb9f925a3fb60fe8223..3c9452cc42a6f17f0df87d21d8ea35869001db0c 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/concerns/controller_with_cross_project_access_check_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/concerns/controller_with_cross_project_access_check_spec.rb
@@ -27,11 +27,11 @@ describe ControllerWithCrossProjectAccessCheck do
                                               if: -> { if_condition }
 
         def index
-          render nothing: true
+          head :ok
         end
 
         def show
-          render nothing: true
+          head :ok
         end
 
         def unless_condition
@@ -88,15 +88,15 @@ describe ControllerWithCrossProjectAccessCheck do
                                         if: -> { if_condition }
 
         def index
-          render nothing: true
+          head :ok
         end
 
         def show
-          render nothing: true
+          head :ok
         end
 
         def edit
-          render nothing: true
+          head :ok
         end
 
         def unless_condition
diff --git a/spec/controllers/concerns/lfs_request_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/concerns/lfs_request_spec.rb
index 33b23db302af06080849a3993dbf578905d0fae7..76c878ec5d7c189aaccd7474f404a5f5f6385628 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/concerns/lfs_request_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/concerns/lfs_request_spec.rb
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ describe LfsRequest do
     def show
       storage_project
 
-      render nothing: true
+      head :ok
     end
 
     def project