Module 2 of 6Lesson 2 of 2~15 min
Status codes, errors and product decisions
What the user sees when an API fails is a product decision, not a technical detail. This lesson teaches you to read status codes and error messages, to separate what needs fixing from what can be retried, then to plan the right product behavior for each case.
Lesson objective
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to interpret an API's status codes and error responses, tell errors to fix from errors to retry, and match each one with a product behavior (message, retry, alert).
Topics covered
- HTTP status codes
- API error handling
- user experience
- 4xx and 5xx errors
In the glossary
Where it fits
Reading an API
How do I read an API's documentation and understand what it answers, including when things fail?
Lessons in this module
- Reading a REST API's documentation
- Status codes, errors and product decisions (this lesson)
What you will learn in this module
This lesson is part of the course Design and test an API integration as a PM
- Read a REST API's documentation (resources, endpoints, methods, parameters, JSON bodies, OpenAPI description) and extract what the integration needs.
- Interpret status codes and error responses, and decide the product behavior (fix, retry, alert, inform the user).
Related courses
- Product ManagementAdvancedRegular practice: you already use the tools or work on this topic.
Git for PMs: ship as a team without putting production at risk
3 hr 30 min
- Tech for PMsAll levelsNo prerequisites: accessible to everyone.
Explain how a web product works, from browser to server
2 hr 30 min
- Tech for PMsJuniorSome basics are useful: introductory knowledge of the topic.
Model your product’s data and query it with SQL
3 hr 30 min