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Understanding API Response Error Messages

Updated over a week ago

When working with APIs, it's normal to receive response messages that indicate whether a request was successful or if something went wrong. These messages are part of how systems communicate clearly and efficiently. In some cases, the API may experience a server-side issue and return a response error.

Common response errors

400 Client Level Errors

  • 400 Bad Request: The server could not understand the request due to invalid input.

  • 401 Unauthorized: You must authenticate before accessing the resource.

  • 403 Forbidden: You are not allowed to access this resource.

  • 404 Not Found: The requested resource does not exist.

  • 405 Method Not Allowed: The HTTP method used is not supported by the resource.

  • 409 Conflict: The request could not be completed due to a conflict.

  • 422 Unprocessable Entity: The request is well-formed but has semantic errors.

  • 429 Too Many Requests: You have sent too many requests in a short period.

500 Server Level Errors

  • 500 Internal Server Error: Something went wrong on the server.

  • 502 Bad Gateway: Server received an invalid response from another service.

  • 503 Service Unavailable: Server is temporarily unable to handle requests.

  • 504 Gateway Timeout: Server did not receive a response in time from another service.

Important Things to Include in Your Requests

To avoid these errors, considering the following:

  • Request size is within the defined API limitations

  • Request content is of the right format

  • The correct syntax is being used for the URI and request body (check for the trailing slash!)

  • Retry logic and client-side timeout is configured appropriately


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Additional Resources:

🔗 Visit our API documentation to get more information on error responses or dive into our API specifications

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