Handling FileMaker Data API errors

Expert

Interpret HTTP status codes and FileMaker error codes in API responses, and build robust error handling around every request.

What you'll learn

How HTTP status codes and FileMaker error codes relate
The most common FileMaker API error codes and their meanings
How to build a consistent error handler around Data API requests

The FileMaker Data API communicates errors through both HTTP status codes and FileMaker-specific error codes in the response body. Robust integrations check both layers and translate error codes into actionable messages rather than surfacing raw API output.

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Two layers of errors

The HTTP status indicates whether the request reached the server and was understood. The FileMaker error code inside the response body indicates whether the FileMaker operation succeeded.

JSON

// HTTP 200 with FileMaker error (operation failed but request was valid)
{
  "messages": [{ "code": "401", "message": "No records match the request" }],
  "response": {}
}

// HTTP 401 → authentication failed (bad token)
// HTTP 400 → malformed request (bad JSON or invalid parameters)
// HTTP 500 → server-side error

Pagination with _offset and _limit Sorting records in Data API responses