Errors

In this guide, we will talk about what happens when something goes wrong while you work with the API. Let's look at some status codes and error types you might encounter.

You can tell if your request was successful by checking the status code when receiving an API response. If a response comes back unsuccessful, you can use the error type and error message to figure out what has gone wrong and do some rudimentary debugging (before contacting support).

Status codes

The ola.cv API uses conventional HTTP response statuses and codes to indicate the failure of API calls.

Name
2xx
Description
A 2xx status code indicates a successful response.
Name
4xx
Description
A 4xx status code indicates a client error — this means it's a you problem.
Name
5xx
Description
A 5xx status code indicates a server error — you won't be seeing these.

Error types

Whenever a request is unsuccessful, the ola.cv API will return an error response with an error type and message. You can use this information to understand better what has gone wrong and how to fix it. Most of the error messages are pretty helpful and actionable.

Here are some of the common errors you may encounter while working with the API.

Name
401
Type
Unauthenticated
Description
The request was not authorized. This can be triggered by passing an invalid API token in the authorization header or the lack of one altogether.
Name
403
Type
Forbidden
Description
The request was not allowed. You may receive a 403 error if you passed an API token with inappropriate permission or privilege.
Name
404
Type
Not Found
Description
Request could not be fulfilled as the request resource does not exist. Check to make sure you have not deleted the specified resource.
Name
405
Type
Method Not Allowed
Description
The request was not allowed. You may have requested a resource with the wrong HTTP method, e.g a GET when a POST is required.
Name
422
Type
Unprocessable Entity
Description
A validation or client side error occurred and the request was not fulfilled.
Name
429
Type
Too Many Attempts
Description
You have made too many requests in a time frame, and have exceeded the rate limit. Slow down the number of requests, and wait for no less than 60 seconds before the next request.
Name
500
Type
Server Error
Description
Request could not be fulfilled due to an error on ola.cv's end. This should not happen, and definitely not so often, so please report as soon as you encounter any instance of this.

Error response

{
  "message": "The payment method is not valid.",
  "errors": {
    "payment_method": [
      "The payment method is not valid."
    ]
  }
}