Error Handling

Every error response from the ActiveCalls API follows the same JSON envelope, regardless of the endpoint. This page explains that envelope, lists every error code, maps HTTP status codes to their meanings, describes retry strategies, and documents rate limits.

Error response format
All error responses are served with Content-Type: application/json. The body always contains three fields:

{
  "request_id":    "req_4d2a1b8c",
  "error_code":    1005,
  "error_message": "Invalid phone number: 0712345678"
}

Field	Type	Description
request_id	string	Correlation ID. Log this and quote it when contacting ActiveCalls support; it ties the call to our internal logs.
error_code	integer	Application-specific error category. Use this field for programmatic branching. It is stable across API releases.
error_message	string	Human-readable description, often including the offending value. Use it for operator and developer surfaces, not for production logic.

HTTP status codes

Status	Meaning	when it happens
200	success	The request completed successfully.
400	Bad Request	The request is invalid, or input is missing or malformed.
401	Unauthorized	The request is missing a valid API key.
403	Forbidden	The API key is valid, but does not have permission for the resource.
404	Not Found	The resource does not exist, or the endpoint path is invalid.
429	Too many requests	The request was rate limited.