> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://flutterwaveinc.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Common Errors

> Learn more about error codes and how to resolve them.

Below is a list of possible errors you might encounter and their respective status codes:

1. Payment Errors
2. Validation Errors
3. Authorization Errors
4. Server Errors

All errors have the same response format: a `status` set to **error** and a `message` describing the error. There may also be a `data` object containing more details, for example:

```json theme={null}
{
	"status": "error",
	"message": "merchant secret key required",
	"data": null
}
```

## Payment Errors

You are likely to have a payment error when your transaction request does not pass compliance checks or when it encounters processing issues. See the full list of errors below:

<iframe width="100%" height="533" src="https://airtable.com/embed/app0K81ij4jWssnV3/shreKmXyljsYL9cE1" title="Payment Error" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen />

## Validation Errors

Validation errors are returned when your request fails one or more validation rules.
An example of this is not parsing in the required parameters in your request; you will get a **400 Bad Request** status code.

<CodeGroup>
  ```json 400 Bad Request theme={null}
  {
  	"status": "error",
  	"message": "Cardno is required",
  	"data": null
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Authorization Errors

When you send a request without adding your secret key to authorize your API calls or you send an incorrect key, you will get a **401 Unauthorized** error.

<CodeGroup>
  ```json 401 Unauthorized theme={null}
  {
  	"status": "error",
  	"message": "Authorization required",
  	"data": null
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Server errors

You will receive a server error with the status `500 Internal Server Error` when there is an error on our end. In this case, you should retry after a while or reach out to our support.

<CodeGroup>
  ```json 500 Server Error theme={null}
  {
  	"error_id": "ERRNO796977608T1620310828419",
  	"message": "Application error. Please contact support",
  	"code": "app_error"
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Next Steps

Check out our [best practices](/best-practices) to avoid errors and improve your payment experience.