400 BAD request HTTP error code meaning?

Question

I have a JSON request which I\'m posting to a HTTP URL.

Should this be treated as 400 where requestedResource field exists but \"Rom

Answer 1

In neither case is the "syntax malformed". It's the semantics that are wrong. Hence, IMHO a 400 is inappropriate. Instead, it would be appropriate to return a 200 along with some kind of error object such as { "error": { "message": "Unknown request keyword" } } or whatever.

Consider the client processing path(s). An error in syntax (e.g. invalid JSON) is an error in the logic of the program, in other words a bug of some sort, and should be handled accordingly, in a way similar to a 403, say; in other words, something bad has gone wrong.

An error in a parameter value, on the other hand, is an error of semantics, perhaps due to say poorly validated user input. It is not an HTTP error (although I suppose it could be a 422). The processing path would be different.

For instance, in jQuery, I would prefer not to have to write a single error handler that deals with both things like 500 and some app-specific semantic error. Other frameworks, Ember for one, also treat HTTP errors like 400s and 500s identically as big fat failures, requiring the programmer to detect what's going on and branch depending on whether it's a "real" error or not.