What is the best way to handle error responses in a Rails API when returning JSON data?

Suppose...

module Api
    module V1
        class SessionsController < ApplicationController
            respond_to :json
            skip_before_filter :verify_authenticity_token

            def create
                @user = User.find_by(email: params[:session][:email].downcase)
                if @user && @user.authenticate(params[:session][:password])
                    token = User.new_remember_token
                    @user.update_attribute(:remember_token, User.digest(token))
                    respond_with :api, :v1, _____________
                else
                    #error
                end
            end
        end
    end
end

The section marked as #error in the code above deals with situations where the user authentication fails. What specific coding method should be used to indicate to the caller that the authentication process was unsuccessful, or when there are issues such as unsaved data?

Answer №1

In accordance with CBroe's suggestion, it is advisable to reply with a suitable status code like 400 or 403. You have the option of simply returning the status code by utilizing 'head', or you can also include an error message in JSON format:

{ 'error' : 'Authorization failed' }

The consumer-side code should verify the status code and potentially the 'error' key within the JSON response and handle it accordingly.

Here are some examples that you can use at the conclusion of your controller action (choose one):

return head(:bad_request)  # will only provide a 400 status code

render :json => { :error => 'That was an invalid request' } # defaults to 200 status

render :json => { :error => 'Oops! Bad request' }, :status => 400 

The final example modifies the default status to indicate a 400. Typically, the status can be specified as an integer like that, or a symbol such as :not_found or :bad_request. Trust this clarifies things for you.

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