Skip to content

Bad Request
Type https://defra.github.io/digital-waste-tracking-api-site/preview/problems/bad-request
Title Bad Request
Status 400

The request was rejected and nothing was stored. Correct the request before you send it again. Sending the same request again will fail in the same way.

When this happens

Cause Example detail errors present
The request body does not match the endpoint's schema, for example a required field is missing or a value has the wrong type or format 2 validation errors occurred Yes
beta-1 only: the apiCode in the body is not recognised. On beta-2 a missing or unrecognised API Code returns unauthorized. the API Code supplied is invalid No
beta-2 only: the body still contains apiCode, which moved to the x-api-code header 1 validation error occurred (pointer /apiCode, NotAllowed) Yes
A Movement ID in a POST /deliveries request does not exist No movement exists for movement ID(s): 25HRA0B2, 25HRA0B3 No
The request body is not valid JSON Invalid request payload JSON format No
The Authorization header is malformed Bad HTTP authentication header format No

Validation errors

If the request body fails schema validation, the response includes an errors array with one entry for each problem found. All problems are reported together, so you can fix them in one go. A value of the wrong type — for example a string where an object is expected — is reported once, and nothing inside it is reported until its type is fixed.

Member Description
message Human-readable description of the problem.
pointer JSON Pointer to the field in the request body, for example /wasteItems/0/ewcCodes.
errorType Category of the problem. One of the values in the table below.
errorType Meaning
NotProvided A required field is missing.
NotAllowed A field is present that the endpoint does not accept.
InvalidType A value has the wrong JSON type, for example a string instead of a number.
InvalidFormat A value does not match the required format or pattern, for example a date.
InvalidValue A value is not one of the allowed values.
OutOfRange A value, string length or number of items is above the maximum or below the minimum.
BusinessRuleViolation A value breaks a business rule.
UnexpectedError Any other validation problem.

Example

{
  "type": "https://defra.github.io/digital-waste-tracking-api-site/preview/problems/bad-request",
  "title": "Bad Request",
  "detail": "2 validation errors occurred",
  "instance": "/beta-1/movements",
  "requestId": "4f6c1f0e9a3b4c2d8e7f6a5b4c3d2e1f",
  "errors": [
    {
      "message": "\"apiCode\" is required",
      "pointer": "/apiCode",
      "errorType": "NotProvided"
    },
    {
      "message": "must NOT have additional properties",
      "pointer": "/unknownField",
      "errorType": "NotAllowed"
    }
  ]
}

How to fix it

  • Check each entry in errors and correct the field that pointer refers to.
  • Check the request against the spec for the version you are calling: beta-2 or beta-1.
  • On beta-2, send the apiCode in the x-api-code header, not in the body. On beta-1, check that the apiCode in the body is the one issued to your organisation.
  • For POST /deliveries, check that every Movement ID was returned by an earlier POST /movements request.