Error Handling

How to handle API errors

When an error occurs, the API returns an appropriate HTTP status code and a JSON error response.

HTTP Status Codes

400 Bad Request - Invalid request parameters
401 Unauthorized - Missing or invalid authentication
403 Forbidden - Insufficient permissions
404 Not Found - Resource not found
405 Method Not Allowed - HTTP method not supported
500 Internal Server Error - Server error

Error Response Format

Error responses include:

Message - Human-readable error description
ErrorCode - Numeric error code for programmatic handling
Details - Additional error details (may be null)

Common Errors

401 Unauthorized

Your access token is missing, expired, or invalid. Request a new token.

400 Bad Request

Check the error message for specific validation failures. Common causes:

Missing required fields
Invalid field values
Incorrect data types
Duplicate resource names

Best Practices

Always check HTTP status codes
Log error messages for debugging
Implement retry logic for 5xx errors
Handle 401 errors by refreshing the token

Code Examples

# Error Response Example
{
  "Message": "Specified name is taken by an existing snippet",
  "ErrorCode": 11001,
  "Details": null
}

# Handling Errors (JavaScript)
try {
  const response = await fetch(url, options);
  if (!response.ok) {
    const error = await response.json();
    console.error('API Error:', error.Message);
    throw new Error(error.Message);
  }
  return await response.json();
} catch (error) {
  // Handle network or parsing errors
  console.error('Request failed:', error);
}