In a restful API, what is the correct response code when responding with a custom error message? For example, "Username does not exist"

A colleague is arguing it should be code 400 and not 200

CodePudding user response：

it depends on the case :)

If you are looking for something, it can be even a 404 status code.

If you need succeed response, send 200, otherwise, 400 looks more suitable.

CodePudding user response：

If you have an error message, then the status is definitely not 200. It can be 4xx or 5xx depending on the cause.