Hands In
Errors

Error Codes

A guide to common API error codes, status responses, and rate limiting behavior

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🚦 Error Codes & Rate Limiting

Hands In uses conventional HTTP status codes to indicate the type of error. This section lists common error codes, along with guidance on interpreting rate limit responses and retry strategies.

🔸 Client Errors (4xx)

These are issues with the request — you’ll need to correct the input or fix your integration logic.

HTTP StatusError NameDescription
400INVALID_FIELDMalformed request or missing fields
401UNAUTHORIZEDAuthentication failed — check API key/token
403FORBIDDENAccess denied — see detail for specific reason
404NOT_FOUNDResource not found — check resource ID or endpoint
409CONFLICTRequest could not be completed due to a state conflict
422UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITYValidation failed — required or invalid fields
429TOO_MANY_REQUESTSRate limit exceeded

🔺 Server Errors (5xx)

These indicate internal issues. They are typically temporary and safe to retry.

HTTP StatusError NameDescription
500INTERNAL_SERVER_ERRORUnexpected internal error
502BAD_GATEWAYTemporary unavailability between services
503SERVICE_UNAVAILABLEAPI temporarily down — retry with exponential backoff

⏱️ Rate Limiting

Hands In enforces request rate limits to ensure platform stability.

  • When exceeded, you'll receive a 429 Too Many Requests status
  • The Retry-After header (in seconds) indicates when to retry
  • Always use exponential backoff when retrying (1s, 2s, 4s…)
  • If you're consistently hitting limits, contact support to discuss limits for your account

Error Formatting

Understand how Hands In returns API errors, including structure and key fields

Best Practices

Best practices for managing API errors and implementing resilient retry logic

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🚦 Error Codes & Rate Limiting🔸 Client Errors (4xx)🔺 Server Errors (5xx)⏱️ Rate Limiting