Common Errors

Message	Cause	Resolution
"message": "Forbidden"	This is generally due to the x-api-key header being incorrect and/or not provided. Note that the value is case-sensitive.	Ensure the value of the key matches the same capitalization as shown in the portal settings page. The production and sandbox keys are supposed to be different, so verify the value is correct for the environment.
Submitted resource cannot be processed due to semantic errors	The request parameters (query strings, request body, etc.) contain invalid and/or unprocessable values.	Ensure request values are valid according to the documentation. This is applicable, but not limited to, non-permissible values and missing required parameters.
"message": " not a valid key=value pair (missing equal-sign) in Authorization header: 'Bearer ."	This is an AWS error that is misleading. The main cause is usually due to incorrect API paths.	Ensure the path for the request is correct, and exists in our API docs.

Message

Cause

Resolution

"message": "Forbidden"

This is generally due to the x-api-key header being incorrect and/or not provided. Note that the value is case-sensitive.

Ensure the value of the key matches the same capitalization as shown in the portal settings page.

The production and sandbox keys are supposed to be different, so verify the value is correct for the environment.

Submitted resource cannot be processed due to semantic errors

The request parameters (query strings, request body, etc.) contain invalid and/or unprocessable values.

Ensure request values are valid according to the documentation.

This is applicable, but not limited to, non-permissible values and missing required parameters.

"message": " not a valid key=value pair (missing equal-sign) in Authorization header: 'Bearer ."

This is an AWS error that is misleading. The main cause is usually due to incorrect API paths.

Ensure the path for the request is correct, and exists in our API docs.

Common Error Response Codes

Response Code	Cause	Resolution
401 - Authorization has been denied for this request.	The authorization token is expired/invalid OR No authorization token was provided.	Ensure that the Authorization header is populated and that the token is valid and not expired. Tokens are only valid for four hours since being issued to the user.
403	The authenticated LMS user does not have the required permissions.	Ensure the authenticated LMS user has the required permissions.
404	The resource could not be found.	Ensure the resource exists, and the authenticated user has the permissions to view/access the resource.
429	The client has exceeded their rate limit.	Client’s need to implement a retry mechanism, and reduce request volume.
500	Something went wrong while requesting data from Absorb.	Needs further investigation. Please create a support ticket.
502	Something went wrong while requesting data from Absorb.	Needs further investigation. Please create a support ticket.
504	The request timed out. Our timeout value is 30 seconds. This can be a result of intensive API call (ex. first time login, redeeming an enrollment key with many courses).	Reduce the work done per API call OR If it’s not possible, please create a support ticket for further action.