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

# Errors

> Understanding and handling API error responses.

VTULab uses standard HTTP response codes to indicate the success or failure of an API request. In general, codes in the `2xx` range indicate success, codes in the `4xx` range indicate an error that failed given the information provided (e.g., a required parameter was omitted, a charge failed, etc.), and codes in the `5xx` range indicate an error with VTULab's servers.

## HTTP Status Codes

| Code                                 | Description                                                                    |
| :----------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `200 - OK`                           | Everything worked as expected.                                                 |
| `400 - Bad Request`                  | The request was unacceptable, often due to missing a required parameter.       |
| `401 - Unauthorized`                 | No valid API key provided.                                                     |
| `403 - Forbidden`                    | The API key doesn't have permissions for the request or IP is not whitelisted. |
| `404 - Not Found`                    | The requested resource doesn't exist.                                          |
| `422 - Unprocessable Entity`         | Validation errors (e.g. invalid phone number format).                          |
| `429 - Too Many Requests`            | Too many requests hit the API too quickly.                                     |
| `500, 502, 503, 504 - Server Errors` | Something went wrong on VTULab's end.                                          |

## Error Response Structure

When a request fails, we return a JSON object containing the error details.

<CodeGroup>
  ```json Error Example theme={null}
  {
    "status": false,
    "message": "The given data was invalid.",
    "errors": {
      "phone_number": [
        "The phone number must be exactly 11 digits."
      ]
    }
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Field Definitions

<ResponseField name="status" type="boolean">
  Always `false` for error responses.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="message" type="string">
  A high-level summary of the error.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="errors" type="object">
  An object containing field-specific validation messages. The keys represent the field names, and the values are arrays of error strings.
</ResponseField>

***

## Handling Errors

### Validation Errors (422)

These occur when the data you sent doesn't meet our requirements. Always check the `errors` object for specific details.

### Authentication Errors (401/403)

Double-check that your API key is correctly formatted in the header and that your server's IP address is whitelisted in the dashboard.

### Rate Limiting (429)

If you hit our rate limits, slow down your requests and implement a retry logic with exponential backoff.

<Tip>
  Need help? Contact our support team at [support@vtulab.com](mailto:support@vtulab.com) with your transaction reference or request payload.
</Tip>