Overview
When working with APIs, 4xx status codes are common throughout all platforms. While the messaging may slightly differ between integrations, these typically indicate an issue with authentication.
The most common 4xx status codes you'll run into are:
401 Unauthorized: The server you are making the API call to doesn't recognize you.Real-life example: You're at the airport, but you haven't shown your boarding pass or ID at security. The officer says, "You can't go through until you show your documents."
403 Forbidden: The server you are making the API call to knows who you are, but you don't have the proper permissions execute it.Real life example: You’ve shown your boarding pass and ID at the airport, passed through security, but when you try to enter a restricted area like the cockpit of the plane, you're denied access since you are only a passenger.
Tines Tip: For help with setting up integration credentials in Tines, take a look at our authentication guides or our built-in connect flows.
4xx Status Codes: Cause and solution
Cause One: The credential does not have the proper permissions
One of the most common reasons as to why an API call might return a 4xx status code is due to the credential that is in-use does not have the permissions necessary to execute the call.
🟢 Solution: Check your integration's documentation to ensure that your credential is set up correctly and is active.
Cause Two: The credential is not formatted correctly
While the permissions of your credential may be correct, if it is incorrectly referenced within your HTTP Request action, a 4xx status code can still occur.
🟢 Solution: Check your integration's documentation to ensure that you are correctly referencing the credential within your API request. Two common examples are:
Authorization Bearer Header:
Basic Auth:
Cause Three: The API method used is incorrect
Some credential permissions only allow for certain API methods.
🟢 Solution: Check your integration's documentation that the credential in-use can execute the API method you are attempting to call. Tines supports the following API methods: DELETE, GET, PATCH, POST, PUT.
4xx Status Codes: Troubleshooting checklist
☑️ Confirm the credential used has the proper permissions and is not expired.
☑️ Confirm the credential used is formatted as needed for the API call in-use.
☑️ Confirm you are using a credential appropriate for the API method you are calling.
☑️ Confirm you are able to run the API successfully outside of Tines (for example, in an API platform like Postman or through a cURL command).
Need further assistance?
Have questions or still seeing the error after working through the sections above? We are happy to help!
⬇️ Contact Tines Support with the information below, when available:
ℹ️ General Information:
Describe the behavior in detail, including steps to replicate (we recommend providing this information via a screen prerecording).
A documentation link to the API call you are attempting to make.
ℹ️ Story Details:
The action configuration(s): You can copy + paste actions into a code block; this will provide the configuration of the action(s) in a JSON format so that Tines Support can use it into our test environments.