2xx for success, 4xx for an error caused by the request, and 5xx for an error on our end.
Error shape
Every error response has the same shape:{
"error": {
"type": "validation_error",
"code": "missing_required_field",
"message": "The 'to' field is required for channel 'email'",
"param": "to"
}
}
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
type | Broad category of error. Useful for switch statements in your error handling. |
code | Specific machine-readable reason. Stable across API versions. |
message | Human-readable description. Don’t parse this — use code instead. |
param | The request field that caused the error, if applicable, otherwise null. |
HTTP status codes
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
200 / 201 / 202 | Success |
400 | The request was malformed (invalid JSON, wrong types) |
401 | Missing or invalid API key |
404 | The resource doesn’t exist, or doesn’t belong to your account |
409 | The request conflicts with the resource’s current state (e.g. cancelling a message that already sent) |
422 | The request was well-formed but failed validation |
429 | You’ve exceeded a rate limit |
500 / 503 | Something went wrong on our end. Safe to retry. |
Error types
| Type | Typical status | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
invalid_request | 400 | The request couldn’t be parsed |
authentication_error | 401 | The API key is missing, invalid, or revoked |
not_found | 404 | The resource doesn’t exist |
validation_error | 422 | A field failed validation — check param |
rate_limit_error | 429 | Too many requests — see Retry-After header |
api_error | 500 | An unexpected error on Pulsewave’s side |
Handling errors
try {
await pulsewave.messages.send({ channel: 'email', to, from, subject, html });
} catch (err) {
if (err.type === 'validation_error' && err.param === 'to') {
// show a field-level error in your UI
} else if (err.type === 'rate_limit_error') {
// back off and retry, see Rate limits
} else {
throw err;
}
}
5xx responses and network errors are safe to retry. Pulsewave’s official SDKs retry these automatically with exponential backoff.