Error Handling

Learn how to handle errors in APIVerve APIs, understand HTTP status codes, and implement proper error handling in your applications.

HTTP Status Codes

APIVerve uses conventional HTTP response codes to indicate the success or failure of an API request:

Code	Status	Description
200	OK	Request successful
400	Bad Request	Invalid parameters or malformed request
401	Unauthorized	Invalid or missing API key
403	Forbidden	API key suspended or insufficient permissions
429	Too Many Requests	Rate limit exceeded
500	Internal Server Error	Server error, please try again

Error Response Format

All error responses follow a consistent format across all response types (JSON, XML, YAML):

JSON Error Response

400 Bad Request

{
  "status": "error",
  "error": "Description of what went wrong",
  "data": null
}

XML Error Response

400 Bad Request

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<response>
  <status>error</status>
  <error>Description of what went wrong</error>
  <data></data>
</response>

YAML Error Response

400 Bad Request

status: error
error: "Description of what went wrong"
data: null

Common Error Scenarios

Authentication Errors

Missing API Key

401 Unauthorized

{
  "status": "error",
  "error": "API key is required",
  "data": null
}

Rate Limiting

Rate Limit Exceeded

429 Too Many Requests

{
  "status": "error",
  "error": "Rate limit exceeded. Try again in 60 seconds",
  "data": null
}

Parameter Validation

Invalid Parameters

400 Bad Request

{
  "status": "error",
  "error": "Required parameter 'url' is missing",
  "data": null
}

Error Handling Best Practices

Handling Errors Gracefully

Always check the HTTP status code first
Parse the error message from the response body
Implement retry logic for 500-level errors
Handle rate limits with exponential backoff
Log errors for debugging purposes

JavaScript Example

Error Handling in JavaScript

async function makeAPIRequest(endpoint, params) {
  try {
    const response = await fetch(`https://api.apiverve.com/v1/${endpoint}`, {
      headers: {
        'X-API-Key': 'your-api-key',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      },
      method: 'POST',
      body: JSON.stringify(params)
    });

    const data = await response.json();

    if (!response.ok) {
      // Handle specific error cases
      switch (response.status) {
        case 401:
          throw new Error('Invalid API key');
        case 429:
          throw new Error('Rate limit exceeded. Please try again later');
        case 500:
          throw new Error('Server error. Please try again');
        default:
          throw new Error(data.error || 'Unknown error occurred');
      }
    }

    return data;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('API Error:', error.message);
    throw error;
  }
}

What's Next?

Continue your journey with these recommended resources

Rate Limits

Understanding and handling API rate limits effectively

Error Handling

Best practices for handling API errors and edge cases

Postman Collection

Download and test APIs using our Postman collections

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