---
title: Error Codes
description: API error codes and troubleshooting
---

## Overview

The Plunk API uses standardized error responses to help you quickly identify and resolve issues. All errors include:

- **Machine-readable error codes** for programmatic handling
- **Human-readable messages** explaining what went wrong
- **Helpful suggestions** to guide you toward a solution
- **Request IDs** for debugging and support requests
- **Field-level validation details** when applicable

## HTTP Status Codes

### 200 OK
Request successful.

### 201 Created
Resource created successfully.

### 400 Bad Request
Invalid request format or parameters. Check the error details for specific issues.

### 401 Unauthorized
Authentication failed or missing. Verify your API key.

### 403 Forbidden
Not authorized to access this resource. Check permissions or project status.

### 404 Not Found
The requested resource does not exist. Verify the resource ID.

### 422 Unprocessable Entity
Request validation failed. Check the `errors` array for field-level details.

### 429 Too Many Requests
Rate limit exceeded. Wait before retrying or upgrade your plan.

### 500 Internal Server Error
An unexpected server error occurred. Contact support with the request ID.

## Error Response Format

All errors follow this standardized format:

```json
{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",
    "message": "Request validation failed",
    "statusCode": 422,
    "requestId": "f47ac10b-58cc-4372-a567-0e02b2c3d479",
    "errors": [
      {
        "field": "email",
        "message": "Invalid email",
        "code": "invalid_string"
      }
    ],
    "suggestion": "One or more fields have incorrect types. Check that strings are quoted, numbers are unquoted, and booleans are true/false."
  },
  "timestamp": "2025-11-30T10:30:00.000Z"
}
```

### Response Fields

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `success` | boolean | Always `false` for errors |
| `error.code` | string | Machine-readable error code (see below) |
| `error.message` | string | Human-readable error description |
| `error.statusCode` | number | HTTP status code |
| `error.requestId` | string | Unique request identifier for debugging |
| `error.errors` | array | Field-level validation errors (validation errors only) |
| `error.details` | object | Additional context about the error (optional) |
| `error.suggestion` | string | Helpful guidance for fixing the error (optional) |
| `timestamp` | string | ISO 8601 timestamp when the error occurred |

## Error Codes Reference

All errors include a machine-readable `code` field for programmatic handling. Here are all possible error codes:

### Authentication & Authorization

| Code | Status | Description |
|------|--------|-------------|
| `UNAUTHORIZED` | 401 | General authentication failure |
| `INVALID_CREDENTIALS` | 401 | Login credentials are incorrect |
| `MISSING_AUTH` | 401 | Authorization header is missing or malformed |
| `INVALID_API_KEY` | 401 | API key is invalid or not found |
| `FORBIDDEN` | 403 | Not allowed to perform this action |
| `PROJECT_ACCESS_DENIED` | 403 | No access to this project |
| `PROJECT_DISABLED` | 403 | Project has been disabled |

### Validation & Input Errors

| Code | Status | Description |
|------|--------|-------------|
| `BAD_REQUEST` | 400 | General request error |
| `VALIDATION_ERROR` | 422 | Request validation failed (includes field errors) |
| `INVALID_EMAIL` | 422 | Email format is invalid |
| `INVALID_REQUEST_BODY` | 400 | Request body is malformed |
| `MISSING_REQUIRED_FIELD` | 422 | Required field is missing |

### Resource Errors

| Code | Status | Description |
|------|--------|-------------|
| `RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND` | 404 | Generic resource not found |
| `CONTACT_NOT_FOUND` | 404 | Contact does not exist |
| `TEMPLATE_NOT_FOUND` | 404 | Template does not exist |
| `CAMPAIGN_NOT_FOUND` | 404 | Campaign does not exist |
| `WORKFLOW_NOT_FOUND` | 404 | Workflow does not exist |
| `CONFLICT` | 409 | Resource conflict (e.g., duplicate) |

### Rate Limiting & Billing

| Code | Status | Description |
|------|--------|-------------|
| `RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED` | 429 | Too many requests |
| `BILLING_LIMIT_EXCEEDED` | 402 | Billing limit reached |
| `UPGRADE_REQUIRED` | 402 | Feature requires plan upgrade |

### Server Errors

| Code | Status | Description |
|------|--------|-------------|
| `INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR` | 500 | Unexpected server error |
| `DATABASE_ERROR` | 500 | Database operation failed |
| `EXTERNAL_SERVICE_ERROR` | 500 | External service unavailable |

## Common Error Examples

### Authentication Errors

#### Invalid API Key

```json
{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "INVALID_API_KEY",
    "message": "Invalid secret API key. This endpoint requires a secret key (sk_*), not a public key.",
    "statusCode": 401,
    "requestId": "abc-123",
    "suggestion": "Verify your API key is correct and starts with \"sk_\" for secret keys or \"pk_\" for public keys."
  },
  "timestamp": "2025-11-30T10:30:00.000Z"
}
```

**Solution**: Check your API key is correct. Secret endpoints require keys starting with `sk_`, while tracking endpoints use `pk_` keys.

#### Missing Authorization Header

```json
{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "MISSING_AUTH",
    "message": "Authorization header is required",
    "statusCode": 401,
    "requestId": "abc-123",
    "suggestion": "Include an Authorization header with format: \"Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY\""
  },
  "timestamp": "2025-11-30T10:30:00.000Z"
}
```

**Solution**: Add the `Authorization` header with your API key in Bearer token format.

### Validation Errors

#### Invalid Email Format

```json
{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",
    "message": "Request validation failed",
    "statusCode": 422,
    "requestId": "abc-123",
    "errors": [
      {
        "field": "email",
        "message": "Invalid email",
        "code": "invalid_string"
      }
    ],
    "suggestion": "One or more fields have incorrect types. Check that strings are quoted, numbers are unquoted, and booleans are true/false."
  },
  "timestamp": "2025-11-30T10:30:00.000Z"
}
```

**Solution**: Provide a valid email address. The `errors` array shows which fields failed validation.

#### Missing Required Fields

```json
{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",
    "message": "Request validation failed",
    "statusCode": 422,
    "requestId": "abc-123",
    "errors": [
      {
        "field": "event",
        "message": "Required",
        "code": "invalid_type"
      },
      {
        "field": "email",
        "message": "Required",
        "code": "invalid_type"
      }
    ],
    "suggestion": "Required fields are missing. Ensure all required fields are included in your request."
  },
  "timestamp": "2025-11-30T10:30:00.000Z"
}
```

**Solution**: Include all required fields in your request body.

### Resource Errors

#### Template Not Found

```json
{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "TEMPLATE_NOT_FOUND",
    "message": "Template with ID \"tpl_abc123\" was not found",
    "statusCode": 404,
    "requestId": "abc-123",
    "details": {
      "resource": "Template",
      "id": "tpl_abc123"
    },
    "suggestion": "Ensure the template ID is correct and belongs to your project. You can list available templates via the API."
  },
  "timestamp": "2025-11-30T10:30:00.000Z"
}
```

**Solution**: Verify the template ID exists and belongs to your project.

### Rate Limiting

#### Rate Limit Exceeded

```json
{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED",
    "message": "Rate limit exceeded. Please try again later.",
    "statusCode": 429,
    "requestId": "abc-123",
    "suggestion": "You have exceeded the rate limit. Wait a moment before retrying, or upgrade your plan."
  },
  "timestamp": "2025-11-30T10:30:00.000Z"
}
```

**Solution**: Implement exponential backoff and retry logic. Consider upgrading your plan for higher limits.

## Success Response Format

Successful API requests return a standardized format with `success: true` and a `data` object:

```json
{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "contact": "cnt_abc123",
    "event": "evt_xyz789",
    "timestamp": "2025-11-30T10:30:00.000Z"
  }
}
```

### Response Fields

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `success` | boolean | Always `true` for successful requests |
| `data` | object | Response data specific to the endpoint |

## Handling Errors in Your Code

### JavaScript/TypeScript Example

```typescript
try {
  const response = await fetch('https://api.useplunk.com/v1/track', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${publicKey}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      event: 'purchase',
      email: 'user@example.com'
    })
  });

  const data = await response.json();

  if (!data.success) {
    // Handle error
    console.error(`Error [${data.error.code}]:`, data.error.message);

    // Show suggestion to user
    if (data.error.suggestion) {
      console.log('Suggestion:', data.error.suggestion);
    }

    // Log request ID for support
    console.log('Request ID:', data.error.requestId);

    // Handle specific error types
    switch (data.error.code) {
      case 'VALIDATION_ERROR':
        // Show field-level errors
        data.error.errors?.forEach(err => {
          console.log(`${err.field}: ${err.message}`);
        });
        break;
      case 'INVALID_API_KEY':
        // Prompt user to check their API key
        break;
      case 'RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED':
        // Implement retry with backoff
        break;
    }

    return;
  }

  // Handle success
  console.log('Event tracked:', data.data);
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Network error:', error);
}
```

### Python Example

```python
import requests

response = requests.post(
    'https://api.useplunk.com/v1/track',
    headers={
        'Authorization': f'Bearer {public_key}',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    json={
        'event': 'purchase',
        'email': 'user@example.com'
    }
)

data = response.json()

if not data.get('success'):
    error = data['error']
    print(f"Error [{error['code']}]: {error['message']}")

    # Show suggestion
    if 'suggestion' in error:
        print(f"Suggestion: {error['suggestion']}")

    # Log request ID
    print(f"Request ID: {error['requestId']}")

    # Handle validation errors
    if error['code'] == 'VALIDATION_ERROR':
        for err in error.get('errors', []):
            print(f"{err['field']}: {err['message']}")
else:
    print(f"Event tracked: {data['data']}")
```

## Troubleshooting Guide

### Using Request IDs

Every error includes a unique `requestId` that traces the request through our entire system. Request IDs enable:

**For Developers:**
- Every log entry includes the request ID
- You can grep logs to find all entries for a specific request
- Trace a request from API → Database → Queue → Worker

**For Support:**
1. Include the request ID in your message
2. Describe what you were trying to do
3. Share the full error response if possible

**Example:** If you receive request ID `f47ac10b-58cc-4372-a567-0e02b2c3d479`, we can search our logs for that ID and see:
- The exact request body you sent
- Which database queries were executed
- Any background jobs that were triggered
- The full error stack trace (if applicable)

This helps us quickly locate and diagnose the issue without asking you for additional information.

#### How to Find Request IDs

Request IDs are included in:
- **Error responses**: `error.requestId` field
- **Response headers**: `X-Request-ID` header (also included in successful responses)
- **Your application logs**: Include the header in your logs for correlation

```javascript
// Example: Logging request ID in your application
const response = await fetch('https://api.useplunk.com/v1/send', {
  // ... your request
});

const requestId = response.headers.get('X-Request-ID');
console.log('Request ID:', requestId);  // Log for correlation

const data = await response.json();
if (!data.success) {
  console.error('Error:', data.error.message);
  console.error('Request ID:', data.error.requestId);  // Same as header
}
```

### Common Issues and Solutions

#### Authentication Issues (401)

**Problem**: `INVALID_API_KEY` or `MISSING_AUTH`

**Solutions**:
- Verify your API key is copied correctly (no extra spaces)
- Check you're using the right key type (`sk_` for secret, `pk_` for public)
- Ensure the `Authorization` header uses Bearer token format
- Verify the key hasn't been revoked or regenerated

#### Validation Issues (422)

**Problem**: `VALIDATION_ERROR` with field errors

**Solutions**:
- Check the `errors` array for specific field issues
- Verify all required fields are included
- Ensure field types match (strings quoted, numbers unquoted)
- Review the API reference for correct request format

#### Not Found Issues (404)

**Problem**: `TEMPLATE_NOT_FOUND`, `CONTACT_NOT_FOUND`, etc.

**Solutions**:
- Verify the resource ID is correct
- Check the resource belongs to your project
- Ensure the resource hasn't been deleted
- List available resources via the API to confirm IDs

#### Rate Limit Issues (429)

**Problem**: `RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED`

**Solutions**:
- Implement exponential backoff (wait 1s, 2s, 4s, 8s between retries)
- Reduce request frequency
- Consider upgrading your plan for higher limits
- Batch operations when possible

#### Server Errors (500)

**Problem**: `INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR`

**Solutions**:
- Note the request ID from the error response
- Wait a moment and retry the request
- Check [status.useplunk.com](https://status.useplunk.com) for incidents
- Contact support with the request ID if the issue persists

### Best Practices

1. **Always check the `success` field** before processing responses
2. **Log request IDs** for debugging and support requests
3. **Handle errors gracefully** with user-friendly messages
4. **Implement retry logic** with exponential backoff for transient errors
5. **Monitor error rates** to detect issues early
6. **Use error codes** for programmatic error handling, not just status codes

## Getting Help

If you continue experiencing issues:

1. Review the error `suggestion` field for guidance
2. Check the [API Reference](/api-reference/overview) for correct usage
3. Search our documentation for your specific error code
4. Contact support with your request ID
5. Join our community for help from other developers
