PlunkPlunk
API Reference

Error Codes

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:

{
  "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

FieldTypeDescription
successbooleanAlways false for errors
error.codestringMachine-readable error code (see below)
error.messagestringHuman-readable error description
error.statusCodenumberHTTP status code
error.requestIdstringUnique request identifier for debugging
error.errorsarrayField-level validation errors (validation errors only)
error.detailsobjectAdditional context about the error (optional)
error.suggestionstringHelpful guidance for fixing the error (optional)
timestampstringISO 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

CodeStatusDescription
UNAUTHORIZED401General authentication failure
INVALID_CREDENTIALS401Login credentials are incorrect
MISSING_AUTH401Authorization header is missing or malformed
INVALID_API_KEY401API key is invalid or not found
FORBIDDEN403Not allowed to perform this action
PROJECT_ACCESS_DENIED403No access to this project
PROJECT_DISABLED403Project has been disabled

Validation & Input Errors

CodeStatusDescription
BAD_REQUEST400General request error
VALIDATION_ERROR422Request validation failed (includes field errors)
INVALID_EMAIL422Email format is invalid
INVALID_REQUEST_BODY400Request body is malformed
MISSING_REQUIRED_FIELD422Required field is missing

Resource Errors

CodeStatusDescription
RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND404Generic resource not found
CONTACT_NOT_FOUND404Contact does not exist
TEMPLATE_NOT_FOUND404Template does not exist
CAMPAIGN_NOT_FOUND404Campaign does not exist
WORKFLOW_NOT_FOUND404Workflow does not exist
CONFLICT409Resource conflict (e.g., duplicate)

Rate Limiting & Billing

CodeStatusDescription
RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED429Too many requests
BILLING_LIMIT_EXCEEDED402Billing limit reached
UPGRADE_REQUIRED402Feature requires plan upgrade

Server Errors

CodeStatusDescription
INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR500Unexpected server error
DATABASE_ERROR500Database operation failed
EXTERNAL_SERVICE_ERROR500External service unavailable

Common Error Examples

Authentication Errors

Invalid API Key

{
  "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

{
  "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

{
  "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

{
  "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

{
  "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

{
  "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:

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

Response Fields

FieldTypeDescription
successbooleanAlways true for successful requests
dataobjectResponse data specific to the endpoint

Handling Errors in Your Code

JavaScript/TypeScript Example

try {
  const response = await fetch('https://next-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

import requests

response = requests.post(
    'https://next-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
// Example: Logging request ID in your application
const response = await fetch('https://next-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 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 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