Managing API Errors — Proposed Guide

Managing API Errors: An error-management strategy should route validation failures, permission problems and uncertain writes differently. Blind retries…

Overview

An error-management strategy should route validation failures, permission problems and uncertain writes differently. Blind retries can create duplicate business actions or hide a persistent access problem.

Key concepts

Use stable codes and operation identifiers. Track whether the service might already have accepted the intended write.

Implementation considerations

Test bounded retry decisions with fixtures. Never fall back to a privileged credential or retry financial actions without resolving prior outcomes.

Illustrative data model

This local fixture shows a possible representation for the concepts above. It is not an endpoint response, production configuration or a claim that the described capability is implemented.

{
  "reference_only": true,
  "topic": "Managing API Errors",
  "error_code": "validation_error",
  "request_id": "request_example_123",
  "idempotency_key": "operation_example_123",
  "attempt_number": 1
}

Design review checklist

• Document which organization owns the managing api errors representation and which actor may view or change it.
• Test the boundaries of error code, request id, idempotency key, attempt number using synthetic values, including missing or inconsistent references.
• Before future implementation, obtain an approved contract and review failure behavior. This documentation does not authorize production activation.

Proposed data types

Related documentation