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

# Errors

> Quick reference guide for common errors in News API

NewsAPI v3 uses standard HTTP codes to indicate request success or failure. 2xx
codes mean success, 4xx codes indicate user-related failures, and 5xx codes
indicate infrastructure issues.

## Common error codes

The following table provides a quick reference for the most common errors you
might encounter while using the News API:

| Status code | Status                | Description                                                                                             | Quick solution                                                                                                                    |
| ----------- | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 401         | Unauthorized          | Authentication failed. Typically due to an invalid or missing API key.                                  | Verify the API key is correct and included in the `x-api-token` header. Check your API key status with `/subscription`.           |
| 403         | Forbidden             | Request is valid, but the server refuses action. Could be due to permission issues or plan limitations. | Check your plan permissions and parameter usage. Ensure date ranges are within allowed limits. Contact support if needed.         |
| 408         | Request timeout       | The server did not receive a complete request message within the default timeout of 30 seconds.         | Check network connection, reduce request payload size if possible, narrow search query, implement retry logic.                    |
| 422         | Validation error      | Server understands the request but cannot process it due to invalid input.                              | Ensure request data is correctly formatted and includes all required fields. Check date formats and parameter values.             |
| 429         | Too many requests     | Exceeded the allowed rate limit for API requests.                                                       | Implement request throttling and retry with exponential backoff. Consider upgrading your plan for higher limits.                  |
| 499         | Unknown status code   | Client-side errors that do not fit standard HTTP status codes.                                          | Check for missing fields or incorrect parameters. Follow the [API Reference](/news-api/api-reference/search/search-articles-get). |
| 500         | Internal server error | Unexpected server-side issue. Could be due to a malformed payload or temporary server issues.           | Retry after a few minutes. Check the [status page](https://status.newscatcherapi.com) for known issues. Validate payload.         |

### Quick tips

* Always log errors for easy debugging.
* Use exponential backoff for retries on rate-limited errors (`429`).
* Validate request data against API documentation to avoid validation errors
  (`422`).

For detailed troubleshooting steps and best practices, refer to the
[Error handling](/news-api/troubleshooting/error-handling) guide.