Server Error Codes (5xx) 💥

Server error codes (500-599) indicate that the server encountered a problem and couldn't fulfill the request.

Common Server Error Codes

Returning 500 Errors

@app.get("/items")
async def list_items():
    try:
        items = db.list_items()
        return items
    except DatabaseError:
        # Database is down
        raise HTTPException(
            status_code=500,
            detail="Database connection failed"
        )

When to Use 5xx

Use 5xx codes when:

• Database is down

• External service is unavailable

• Internal error in processing

• Unexpected server-side failure

Avoid Exposing Internal Errors

# ❌ Don't expose internal details
raise HTTPException(
    status_code=500,
    detail=f"Database error: {str(e)}"
)

# ✅ Keep errors generic
raise HTTPException(
    status_code=500,
    detail="Internal server error"
)

🔑 Key Takeaways

• ✅ 5xx codes mean server problem

• ✅ Don't expose internal details

• ✅ Log actual errors internally

• ✅ Return generic messages to clients