> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.datalinkapis.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Errors

> HTTP status codes and error response format.

## Error response format

All errors follow a consistent JSON structure:

```json theme={null}
{
  "error": "Error Type",
  "message": "Human-readable description of what went wrong."
}
```

## HTTP status codes

| Status | Meaning               | Common cause                                          |
| ------ | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| `200`  | OK                    | Request succeeded                                     |
| `400`  | Bad Request           | Missing or malformed request body / parameter         |
| `401`  | Unauthorized          | Missing, invalid, or revoked API key                  |
| `402`  | Payment Required      | No credits remaining on the account                   |
| `422`  | Unprocessable Entity  | Input failed validation (e.g. invalid email format)   |
| `429`  | Too Many Requests     | Rate limit exceeded — see [Rate Limits](/rate-limits) |
| `500`  | Internal Server Error | Unexpected server-side error                          |
| `503`  | Service Unavailable   | Upstream provider temporarily unavailable             |

## Common errors

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="401 — Invalid API key">
    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "error": "Unauthorized",
      "message": "Invalid or missing API key."
    }
    ```

    Check that your key is correctly formatted and included in the `Authorization: Bearer` header.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="400 — Missing required field">
    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "error": "Bad Request",
      "message": "Required field 'email' is missing from the request body."
    }
    ```

    Ensure your request body contains all required fields for the endpoint you are calling.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="402 — Insufficient credits">
    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "error": "Payment Required",
      "message": "Insufficient credits. Top up your account or upgrade your plan."
    }
    ```

    Your credit balance has reached zero. Purchase a top-up from the [billing page](https://datalinkapis.com/dashboard/billing) or upgrade your plan.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="422 — Validation error">
    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "error": "Unprocessable Entity",
      "message": "The value provided for 'email' is not a valid email address."
    }
    ```

    The input passed basic format validation but failed deeper validation. Check the `message` field for specifics.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="503 — Upstream unavailable">
    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "error": "Service Unavailable",
      "message": "One or more upstream providers are currently unavailable. Please retry shortly."
    }
    ```

    DataLink routes through multiple upstream providers with automatic failover. A `503` means all providers for this data type are temporarily unreachable. Check [status.datalinkapis.com](https://status.datalinkapis.com) for live platform health.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>