Errors

The GovernLayer API uses conventional HTTP status codes to indicate success or failure. Errors include a JSON body with detail explaining what went wrong.

Status codes

Name
200 OK
Description
Request succeeded. Response body contains the result.
Name
201 Created
Description
Resource created successfully (e.g., new compliance program).
Name
400 Bad Request
Description
Invalid request body or missing required fields.
Name
401 Unauthorized
Description
Missing or invalid API key / JWT token.
Name
403 Forbidden
Description
Valid credentials but insufficient scope for this endpoint.
Name
404 Not Found
Description
The requested resource does not exist.
Name
422 Validation Error
Description
Request body failed schema validation. Check the detail array for specifics.
Name
429 Too Many Requests
Description
Rate limit exceeded. Check the Retry-After header.
Name
500 Internal Server Error
Description
Something went wrong on our end. Contact support if this persists.

Error response format

All error responses follow a consistent JSON structure:

Name
detail
Type
string | array
Description
Human-readable error message, or an array of validation errors.
Name
status_code
Type
integer
Description
The HTTP status code.

Validation error (422)

{
  "detail": [
    {
      "loc": ["body", "system_name"],
      "msg": "field required",
      "type": "value_error.missing"
    }
  ]
}

Authentication error (401)

{
  "detail": "Invalid or missing API key"
}

Rate limit error (429)

{
  "detail": "Rate limit exceeded. 100 requests per minute allowed.",
  "retry_after": 32
}