Basic Validations

Springer Nature APIs perform strict input validations to ensure robust, consistent, and secure responses. These validations help catch errors early, enforce correct usage, and maintain the integrity of the API platform. This section outlines common validation-related errors, their causes, and the corresponding responses returned by the API, so developers can quickly identify issues and implement appropriate fixes.

Authentication Errors

These errors occur when the api_key is missing, malformed, or does not match any active subscription. Every request to Springer Nature APIs must include a valid API key to authenticate access. Failure to do so will result in immediate rejection of the request with a 401 Unauthorized response.

HTTP Status Code: 401 Unauthorized

Missing/Invalid API Key

Response:

{
  "status": "Fail",
  "message": "Authentication failed. API key is invalid or missing",
  "error": {
    "error": "Unauthorized",
    "error_description": "API key is invalid or missing. Ensure that a valid API key is included in the request URL."
  }
}

Validation Errors

These errors occur when the request is syntactically correct but contains invalid or missing parameters that violate the API's input validation rules. The API responds with a 400 Bad Request status code, along with detailed error messages to help identify and resolve the issue.

HTTP Status Code: 400 Bad Request

Missing Required Query Parameter q

Condition: The q parameter is omitted from the request.

Response:

{
  "status": "Fail",
  "message": "Missing required query parameter: 'q'",
  "error": {
    "error": "Bad Request",
    "error_description": "Missing required query parameter: 'q'"
  }
}

Invalid Pagination – Negative Integer for s (start)

Condition: A negative integer is passed for the s parameter.

Response:

{
  "status": "Fail",
  "message": "Invalid parameters found",
  "error": {
    "error": "Bad Request",
    "error_description": "Query parameter 's' (start) must be a positive integer."
  }
}

Invalid Pagination – Negative Integer for p (page size)

Condition: A negative integer is passed for the p parameter.

Response:

{
  "status": "Fail",
  "message": "Invalid parameters found",
  "error": {
    "error": "Bad Request",
    "error_description": "Query parameter 'p' (page size) must be a positive integer greater than 0."
  }
}

Invalid Pagination – Non-integer for s (start)

Condition: A non-integer value (e.g., string) is passed for the s parameter.

Response:

{
  "status": "Fail",
  "message": "Invalid parameters found",
  "error": {
    "error": "Bad Request",
    "error_description": "Invalid type for query parameter 's' (start): must be an integer."
  }
}

Invalid Pagination – Non-integer for p (page size)

Condition: A non-integer value is passed for the p parameter.

Response:

{
  "status": "Fail",
  "message": "Invalid parameters found",
  "error": {
    "error": "Bad Request",
    "error_description": "Invalid type for query parameter 's' (start): must be an integer."
  }
}

Resource Not Found

Condition: The requested endpoint is invalid or unavailable.

Response:

{
  "status": "Fail",
  "message": "The requested URL was not found on this server",
  "error": {
    "error": "Not Found",
    "error_description": "Kindly refer to the API Endpoints section on https://dev.springernature.com/docs/introduction/"
  }
}

HTTP Status Code: 404 Not Found