Failed login returns 200 Ok

feature
1

I’m doing a POST to /session.json with the payload

{
  "login": "skroob",
  "password": "12345",
  "authenticity_token": "..."
}

When login succeeds, the status is 200 and the JSON returned is a bunch of user data. When login fails, the JSON returned looks like

{"error": "Incorrect username, email or password"}

but the status is still 200. Is this a bug? Should the status for a failed login be something >= 400, to indicate a failure?

1 Like
2

:thinking:

Maybe. I would probably go for 401.

But those are also HTTP status codes, for HTTP client connections; I think that nuance leads to decisions like returning a 200 (“your POST was successful, here is the feedback”).

Not sure, myself. :slight_smile:

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1 Like
4

I can see the rationale for a 200 on a failed login meaning that your login failed successfully, instead of failing unsuccessfully. :upside_down_face:

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5

Keep in mind this is also a bit of a “feature” in that it confuses bots that are trying to log in.

I am mixed on changing this. Maybe…

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6

I’m not asking for a change. What I wanted was disjunctive: a change OR confirmation that the behavior is intentional—which I have now. Thanks!

3 Likes