HTTP

424 - Failed Dependency

Getting a 424 Failed Dependency means the operation failed because a required dependency operation failed—creating an order item when the order doesn't exist, or a nested operation in a batch request failed. This client-side error (4xx) is common in WebDAV but also appears in REST APIs with dependencies. Most common when creating nested resources where the parent fails, but also appears when batch operations have partial failures, transaction dependencies fail, or prerequisite operations don't complete.

#Common Causes

  • →Frontend: Creating child resource when parent doesn't exist. Batch operation includes failed dependencies. Nested resource creation fails. Transaction dependencies not met.
  • →Backend: WebDAV operation dependency fails. Database foreign key constraint fails. Transaction rollback due to dependency failure. Nested operation validation fails.
  • →Infrastructure: Distributed transaction coordinator fails. Microservice dependency unavailable. External API dependency fails. Database replication lag causes dependency issues.

✓Solutions

  1. 1Step 1: Diagnose - Check DevTools Network tab Response body—424 responses usually include which dependency failed. Review error details for failed operation. Check parent resource status.
  2. 2Step 2: Diagnose - Server logs show which dependency operation failed. Review transaction logs. Check foreign key constraints. Examine batch operation results.
  3. 3Step 3: Fix - Client-side: Ensure parent resources exist before creating children. Handle dependency failures gracefully. Retry failed dependencies first. Implement proper error handling.
  4. 4Step 4: Fix - Server-side: Return 424 with details about failed dependency. Implement proper transaction handling. Validate dependencies before operations. Add dependency status checks.
  5. 5Step 5: Fix - Infrastructure: Ensure dependency services are available. Review distributed transaction configuration. Check database replication status. Monitor microservice dependencies.

</>Code Examples

Fetch API: Handle 424 Failed Dependency
1// Client-side: Handle 424 by fixing dependencies first
2async function createOrderWithItems(orderData, items) {
3  try {
4    // First, ensure order exists (main dependency)
5    const orderResponse = await fetch('/api/orders', {
6      method: 'POST',
7      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
8      body: JSON.stringify(orderData),
9    });
10    
11    if (!orderResponse.ok) {
12      throw new Error(`Failed to create order: ${orderResponse.status}`);
13    }
14    
15    const order = await orderResponse.json();
16    
17    // Then add items (depends on order existing)
18    const itemResults = [];
19    for (const item of items) {
20      const itemResponse = await fetch(`/api/orders/${order.id}/items`, {
21        method: 'POST',
22        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
23        body: JSON.stringify(item),
24      });
25      
26      if (itemResponse.status === 424) {
27        // Dependency failed - order might have been deleted
28        const errorData = await itemResponse.json();
29        throw new Error(`Dependency failed: ${errorData.message || 'Order may have been deleted'}`);
30      }
31      
32      if (!itemResponse.ok) {
33        // Rollback order if items fail
34        await fetch(`/api/orders/${order.id}`, { method: 'DELETE' });
35        throw new Error(`Failed to add item: ${itemResponse.status}`);
36      }
37      
38      itemResults.push(await itemResponse.json());
39    }
40    
41    return { order, items: itemResults };
42  } catch (error) {
43    console.error('Failed dependency:', error);
44    showUserMessage({
45      type: 'error',
46      title: 'Operation Failed',
47      message: 'Failed to complete operation due to dependency error. Please try again.',
48    });
49    throw error;
50  }
51}
52
53// Check dependencies before operation
54async function checkDependencies(orderId) {
55  const orderResponse = await fetch(`/api/orders/${orderId}`);
56  
57  if (!orderResponse.ok) {
58    throw new Error('Order dependency not found');
59  }
60  
61  return orderResponse.json();
62}
Express.js: Dependency Validation
1// Server-side: Return 424 for failed dependencies
2const express = require('express');
3const app = express();
4
5// Create order item (depends on order existing)
6app.post('/api/orders/:orderId/items', async (req, res) => {
7  const orderId = req.params.orderId;
8  
9  // Check if order exists (dependency)
10  const order = await db.orders.findById(orderId);
11  
12  if (!order) {
13    return res.status(424).json({
14      error: 'Failed Dependency',
15      message: 'Cannot create item: order does not exist',
16      dependency: 'order',
17      dependencyId: orderId,
18    });
19  }
20  
21  // Check if order is in valid state
22  if (order.status === 'cancelled' || order.status === 'completed') {
23    return res.status(424).json({
24      error: 'Failed Dependency',
25      message: `Cannot add items to ${order.status} order`,
26      dependency: 'order',
27      dependencyStatus: order.status,
28    });
29  }
30  
31  try {
32    // Create item
33    const item = await db.orderItems.create({
34      orderId: orderId,
35      ...req.body,
36    });
37    
38    res.status(201).json(item);
39  } catch (error) {
40    // Check if it's a foreign key constraint failure
41    if (error.code === '23503') { // PostgreSQL foreign key violation
42      return res.status(424).json({
43        error: 'Failed Dependency',
44        message: 'Dependency constraint failed',
45        dependency: 'order',
46      });
47    }
48    throw error;
49  }
50});
51
52// Batch operation with dependency tracking
53app.post('/api/orders/:orderId/items/batch', async (req, res) => {
54  const orderId = req.params.orderId;
55  const items = req.body.items;
56  
57  // Verify order exists first
58  const order = await db.orders.findById(orderId);
59  if (!order) {
60    return res.status(424).json({
61      error: 'Failed Dependency',
62      message: 'Order does not exist',
63    });
64  }
65  
66  const results = [];
67  const errors = [];
68  
69  for (const itemData of items) {
70    try {
71      const item = await db.orderItems.create({
72        orderId: orderId,
73        ...itemData,
74      });
75      results.push(item);
76    } catch (error) {
77      errors.push({
78        item: itemData,
79        error: error.message,
80      });
81      
82      // If dependency fails, return 424
83      if (error.code === '23503') {
84        return res.status(424).json({
85          error: 'Failed Dependency',
86          message: 'One or more items failed due to dependency error',
87          results: results,
88          errors: errors,
89        });
90      }
91    }
92  }
93  
94  res.json({ results, errors });
95});
Nginx: Pass Dependency Headers
1# Nginx: Pass dependency-related headers
2server {
3    listen 80;
4    server_name api.example.com;
5    
6    location /api/ {
7        proxy_pass http://backend;
8        proxy_set_header Host $host;
9        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
10        
11        # Backend handles dependency validation
12        # Nginx just passes requests through
13    }
14}

↗Related Errors

409500

Provider Information

This error code is specific to HTTP services. For more information, refer to the official HTTP documentation.

424 - Failed Dependency | HTTP Error Reference | Error Code Reference