# DAM error details

This page lists DAM REST API error details for image operations.

For cross-API status code guidance, see [Error responses](/guides/error-responses).

The DAM REST API uses standard HTTP status codes to indicate whether a request succeeded or failed.

When an operation fails, first check:

* The `X-API-KEY` header
* Path and query parameter values
* Whether the target image exists
* Whether the image is currently being processed


## Error response format

DAM error response bodies depend on the status code and operation. The OpenAPI specification defines these DAM-specific error schemas:

* `ValidationFailureRepresentation` for validation failures.
* `UnauthorizedRepresentation` for missing or invalid API keys.
* `ForbiddenRepresentation` for authenticated requests that are not allowed to perform the operation.
* `ConflictRepresentation` for state conflicts, such as image processing conflicts.
* `ErrorRepresentation` for unexpected processing errors.


Example:

```json
{
  "validationFailures": {
    "url": [
      "The image URL must be a valid HTTP or HTTPS URL."
    ]
  }
}
```

## 400 Bad Request

The request is syntactically valid HTTP, but the API cannot process it because one or more values are invalid.

Common causes:

### GET `/images`

* Invalid `$filter` syntax
* Unsupported field in `$orderby`
* Invalid pagination values such as `$top` or `$skip`


### POST `/images`

* Missing or invalid `url`
* Unsupported image file extension
* Invalid tag values
* Image URL constraints are not met


### GET `/images({reference})`

The current specification does not define `400` for this operation.

### PATCH `/images({reference})`

* Missing both `url` and `tags`
* Replacement URL does not end with the current image reference
* Unsupported image file extension
* Invalid tag values


### DELETE `/images({reference})`

The current specification does not define `400` for this operation.

## 401 Unauthorized

The request does not include a valid API key.

Typical causes:

* Missing `X-API-KEY` header
* Empty API key value
* Invalid API key


Example request header:

```http
X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY
```

## 403 Forbidden

The request includes a valid API key, but the key is not allowed to perform the requested DAM operation.

This can happen when:

* The API key does not have access to DAM operations.
* The API key has read access but not write access for create, update, or delete operations.


## 404 Not Found

The requested image does not exist or cannot be found for the current tenant.

This can happen when:

* The image identifier is wrong
* The image has already been deleted
* The image does not belong to the current tenant context


## 409 Conflict

The operation cannot be completed because the image is currently being processed.

In the DAM API this status is relevant for:

* `POST /images`
* `PATCH /images({reference})`
* `DELETE /images({reference})`


This usually means the image is temporarily locked by an active processing workflow. Retry later.

## 500 Internal Server Error

The server encountered an unexpected error while processing the request.

Typical causes include:

* Network connectivity issues
* Storage service unavailable
* Database errors


A `500` response usually indicates a temporary or server-side problem rather than a client-side validation issue.

## Endpoint summary

| Endpoint | Possible error codes |
|  --- | --- |
| `GET /images` | `400`, `401`, `403`, `500` |
| `POST /images` | `400`, `401`, `403`, `409`, `500` |
| `GET /images({reference})` | `401`, `403`, `404`, `500` |
| `PATCH /images({reference})` | `400`, `401`, `403`, `404`, `409`, `500` |
| `DELETE /images({reference})` | `401`, `403`, `404`, `409`, `500` |


## Troubleshooting checklist

Before retrying a failed request, verify:

* The `X-API-KEY` header is present and valid
* The endpoint path is correct
* The image `reference` (filename) is correct when using `GET`, `PATCH`, or `DELETE`
* Create and replacement image URLs are public HTTP or HTTPS URLs with supported file extensions
* Query parameters are supported and correctly formatted


## Related pages

* [Introduction](/guides/introduction)
* [Authentication](/guides/authentication)
* [Rate limiting](/guides/rate-limiting)
* [Error responses](/guides/error-responses)
* [API reference overview](/apis)