Error Codes Reference

Error Response Format

All API errors follow this consistent format:

{
  "statusCode": 400,
  "message": "Validation failed",
  "error": "Bad Request",
  "details": [
    {
      "field": "amount",
      "constraint": "min",
      "message": "amount must be greater than 0"
    }
  ]
}

HTTP Status Codes

2xx Success

200 OK

Request succeeded (GET, PATCH, DELETE operations).

201 Created

Resource created successfully (POST operations).

4xx Client Errors

400 Bad Request

Causes:

Invalid request body
Validation errors
Unsupported payment provider
Invalid currency

Example:

{
  "statusCode": 400,
  "message": "Validation failed",
  "error": "Bad Request",
  "details": [
    {
      "field": "currency",
      "constraint": "isEnum",
      "message": "currency must be one of: USDT, LKR"
    }
  ]
}

Fix:

Check request body matches the API specification
Ensure all required fields are provided
Validate field types and formats
Use supported currencies (USDT, LKR)

401 Unauthorized

Causes:

Invalid API key
Expired or revoked API key
Invalid HMAC signature
Timestamp outside valid window (±5 minutes)
Missing authentication headers

Example - Invalid Signature:

{
  "statusCode": 401,
  "message": "Invalid signature",
  "error": "Unauthorized"
}

Fix:

Verify API key is correct and active

Check signature calculation:

const message = timestamp + method + path + body;
const signature = crypto.createHmac('sha256', secretKey)
  .update(message)
  .digest('hex');

Ensure timestamp is current (within 5 minutes)
Verify method is uppercase (GET, POST, PATCH, DELETE)
Include query parameters in path if any

Example - Timestamp Error:

{
  "statusCode": 401,
  "message": "Request timestamp outside valid window",
  "error": "Unauthorized"
}

Fix:

Use current timestamp: Date.now().toString()
Check server clock is synchronized (use NTP)
Don’t reuse old timestamps

403 Forbidden

Causes:

Accessing resources belonging to another merchant
Insufficient permissions
Branch access denied

Example:

{
  "statusCode": 403,
  "message": "Payment does not belong to your merchant account",
  "error": "Forbidden"
}

Fix:

Ensure you’re requesting your own resources
Check merchantId in request matches your account
Verify branch access if using branch-specific endpoints

404 Not Found

Causes:

Resource doesn’t exist
Invalid resource ID
Typo in endpoint URL

Example:

{
  "statusCode": 404,
  "message": "Payment with ID 550e8400-... not found",
  "error": "Not Found"
}

Fix:

Verify resource ID is correct
Check resource hasn’t been deleted
Ensure endpoint URL is correct

409 Conflict

Causes:

Duplicate resource
Resource state conflict
Payment link slug already exists

Example:

{
  "statusCode": 409,
  "message": "Payment link with this slug already exists",
  "error": "Conflict"
}

Fix:

Use a different slug/identifier
Check if resource already exists
Handle conflict in your application logic

410 Gone

Causes:

Payment link expired
Single-use payment link already consumed
Resource permanently deleted

Example:

{
  "statusCode": 410,
  "message": "Payment link has expired",
  "error": "Gone"
}

Fix:

Create a new payment link
Check expiration dates before use
Don’t reuse single-use payment links

422 Unprocessable Entity

Causes:

Business logic validation failed
Invalid amount (negative, zero, or too large)
Custom amount not allowed
Amount outside min/max range

Example:

{
  "statusCode": 422,
  "message": "Amount must be between 5 and 10000 USDT",
  "error": "Unprocessable Entity"
}

Fix:

Review business validation rules
Check amount constraints
Verify custom amount settings

429 Too Many Requests

Causes:

Rate limit exceeded for endpoint
Too many requests in time window

Example:

{
  "statusCode": 429,
  "message": "Rate limit exceeded. Maximum 100 requests per minute. Try again in 45 seconds.",
  "error": "Too Many Requests",
  "retryAfter": 45
}

Headers:

X-RateLimit-Limit: 100
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 0
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1640000000
Retry-After: 45

Fix:

Wait for the time specified in retryAfter
Implement exponential backoff
Cache responses where appropriate
Review rate-limits.md for limits per endpoint

5xx Server Errors

500 Internal Server Error

Causes:

Unexpected server error
Database connection issue
Service temporarily unavailable

Example:

{
  "statusCode": 500,
  "message": "An unexpected error occurred",
  "error": "Internal Server Error"
}

Fix:

Retry the request with exponential backoff
Check status.ceypay.io for service status
Contact support if error persists

502 Bad Gateway

Causes:

Payment provider (Bybit) API failure
Upstream service unavailable
Network timeout

Example:

{
  "statusCode": 502,
  "message": "Failed to create payment with provider",
  "error": "Bad Gateway"
}

Fix:

Retry the request after a short delay
Check payment provider status
Contact support if issue persists

Common Error Scenarios

Validation Errors

{
  "statusCode": 400,
  "message": "Validation failed",
  "error": "Bad Request",
  "details": [
    {
      "field": "amount",
      "constraint": "min",
      "message": "amount must be greater than 0"
    },
    {
      "field": "goods",
      "constraint": "arrayNotEmpty",
      "message": "goods must not be empty"
    },
    {
      "field": "customerBilling.email",
      "constraint": "isEmail",
      "message": "customerBilling.email must be a valid email"
    }
  ]
}

How to handle:

try {
  const payment = await createPayment(data);
} catch (error) {
  if (error.response?.status === 400 && error.response?.data?.details) {
    // Display validation errors to user
    error.response.data.details.forEach(err => {
      console.error(`${err.field}: ${err.message}`);
    });
  }
}

Authentication Errors

// Example: Debugging signature issues
const timestamp = Date.now().toString();
const method = 'POST';
const path = '/v1/payments';
const body = JSON.stringify(paymentData);

console.log('=== Debugging Signature ===');
console.log('Timestamp:', timestamp);
console.log('Method:', method);
console.log('Path:', path);
console.log('Body:', body);

const message = timestamp + method + path + body;
console.log('Message to sign:', message);

const signature = crypto
  .createHmac('sha256', secretKey)
  .update(message)
  .digest('hex');
console.log('Generated signature:', signature);

try {
  const response = await axios.post(url, JSON.parse(body), {
    headers: {
      'x-api-key': apiKey,
      'x-timestamp': timestamp,
      'x-signature': signature
    }
  });
} catch (error) {
  if (error.response?.status === 401) {
    console.error('Authentication failed:', error.response.data);
    console.error('Check:');
    console.error('1. API key is correct and active');
    console.error('2. Timestamp is current (within 5 minutes)');
    console.error('3. Signature calculation matches exactly');
    console.error('4. Method is uppercase');
  }
}

Rate Limit Handling

async function makeApiRequest(url, options, maxRetries = 3) {
  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
    try {
      const response = await axios(url, options);
      return response.data;
    } catch (error) {
      if (error.response?.status === 429) {
        const retryAfter = error.response.data.retryAfter || 60;
        console.log(`Rate limited. Retrying in ${retryAfter} seconds...`);
        await sleep(retryAfter * 1000);
        continue;
      }
      throw error;
    }
  }
  throw new Error('Max retries exceeded');
}

function sleep(ms) {
  return new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
}

Network Error Handling

async function createPaymentWithRetry(data) {
  const maxRetries = 3;
  const retryDelay = 1000; // Start with 1 second

  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
    try {
      return await createPayment(data);
    } catch (error) {
      // Retry on network errors and 5xx errors
      const shouldRetry =
        !error.response ||
        (error.response.status >= 500 && error.response.status < 600);

      if (shouldRetry && i < maxRetries - 1) {
        const delay = retryDelay * Math.pow(2, i); // Exponential backoff
        console.log(`Request failed. Retrying in ${delay}ms...`);
        await sleep(delay);
        continue;
      }

      throw error;
    }
  }
}

Error Handling Best Practices

1. Always Handle Errors

try {
  const payment = await createPayment(data);
  console.log('Payment created:', payment.id);
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Failed to create payment:', error.message);

  // Log for debugging
  if (error.response) {
    console.error('Status:', error.response.status);
    console.error('Error:', error.response.data);
  }

  // Show user-friendly message
  showErrorToUser('Failed to process payment. Please try again.');
}

2. Implement Retry Logic

const RETRYABLE_STATUS_CODES = [408, 429, 500, 502, 503, 504];

function shouldRetry(error) {
  return (
    !error.response ||
    RETRYABLE_STATUS_CODES.includes(error.response.status)
  );
}

3. Log Errors with Context

function logError(error, context) {
  console.error({
    timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
    context,
    status: error.response?.status,
    message: error.response?.data?.message || error.message,
    details: error.response?.data?.details,
    stack: error.stack
  });
}

try {
  await createPayment(data);
} catch (error) {
  logError(error, {
    operation: 'createPayment',
    amount: data.amount,
    currency: data.currency
  });
}

4. Provide User-Friendly Messages

function getErrorMessage(error) {
  const status = error.response?.status;

  switch (status) {
    case 400:
      return 'Invalid payment information. Please check your details.';
    case 401:
      return 'Authentication failed. Please contact support.';
    case 403:
      return 'You don\'t have permission to perform this action.';
    case 404:
      return 'Payment not found. It may have been deleted.';
    case 429:
      return 'Too many requests. Please wait a moment and try again.';
    case 500:
    case 502:
    case 503:
      return 'Our service is temporarily unavailable. Please try again in a few minutes.';
    default:
      return 'An unexpected error occurred. Please try again.';
  }
}

5. Monitor Error Rates

const errorStats = {
  total: 0,
  byStatus: {},
  byEndpoint: {}
};

function trackError(error, endpoint) {
  errorStats.total++;

  const status = error.response?.status || 'network';
  errorStats.byStatus[status] = (errorStats.byStatus[status] || 0) + 1;
  errorStats.byEndpoint[endpoint] = (errorStats.byEndpoint[endpoint] || 0) + 1;

  // Alert if error rate is high
  if (errorStats.total > 100) {
    console.warn('High error rate detected:', errorStats);
  }
}

Getting Help

If you encounter persistent errors:

Check System Status: status.ceypay.io
Review Documentation: Ensure you’re following the API specification
Enable Debug Logging: Log requests, responses, and signatures
Contact Support: [email protected] with:
- Error message and status code
- Request details (endpoint, timestamp, signature)
- Steps to reproduce
- Logs (remove sensitive data!)

Authentication Guide - HMAC signature implementation
Webhooks Guide - Webhook integration and errors
Rate Limits - API rate limiting policies
Quick Start - Getting started guide

Getting Started

Core Resources

Webhooks

Reference

Error Codes Reference

Error Response Format

HTTP Status Codes

2xx Success

200 OK

201 Created

4xx Client Errors

400 Bad Request

401 Unauthorized

403 Forbidden

404 Not Found

409 Conflict

410 Gone

422 Unprocessable Entity

429 Too Many Requests

5xx Server Errors

500 Internal Server Error

502 Bad Gateway

Common Error Scenarios

Validation Errors

Authentication Errors

Rate Limit Handling

Network Error Handling

Error Handling Best Practices

1. Always Handle Errors

2. Implement Retry Logic

3. Log Errors with Context

4. Provide User-Friendly Messages

5. Monitor Error Rates

Getting Help

Getting Started

Core Resources

Webhooks

Reference

​Error Response Format

​HTTP Status Codes

​2xx Success

​200 OK

​201 Created

​4xx Client Errors

​400 Bad Request

​401 Unauthorized

​403 Forbidden

​404 Not Found

​409 Conflict

​410 Gone

​422 Unprocessable Entity

​429 Too Many Requests

​5xx Server Errors

​500 Internal Server Error

​502 Bad Gateway

​Common Error Scenarios

​Validation Errors

​Authentication Errors

​Rate Limit Handling

​Network Error Handling

​Error Handling Best Practices

​1. Always Handle Errors

​2. Implement Retry Logic

​3. Log Errors with Context

​4. Provide User-Friendly Messages

​5. Monitor Error Rates

​Getting Help

​Related Documentation

Error Response Format

HTTP Status Codes

2xx Success

200 OK

201 Created

4xx Client Errors

400 Bad Request

401 Unauthorized

403 Forbidden

404 Not Found

409 Conflict

410 Gone

422 Unprocessable Entity

429 Too Many Requests

5xx Server Errors

500 Internal Server Error

502 Bad Gateway

Common Error Scenarios

Validation Errors

Authentication Errors

Rate Limit Handling

Network Error Handling

Error Handling Best Practices

1. Always Handle Errors

2. Implement Retry Logic

3. Log Errors with Context

4. Provide User-Friendly Messages

5. Monitor Error Rates

Getting Help

Related Documentation