Default GraphQL response is now HTTP 500

14 hours ago

GraphQL is transitioning from returning HTTP 200 for all responses, including errors, to HTTP 500 by default to improve observability.
The change addresses criticism that HTTP 200 made monitoring difficult, as it obscured failures in dashboards and tools.
GraphQL previously used HTTP 200 because it supports partial data in responses, where errors and data coexist, making status codes insufficient.
The new approach, starting October 2026, will use HTTP 500 for all responses to simplify error detection and encourage checking response bodies.
A new 'everything_is_fine' boolean will be added to responses to indicate if data is usable, while the 'errors' array remains unchanged.
The move aims to enhance monitoring, provide honest metrics, and improve developer practices by relying on response content over status codes.
The announcement ends with a note about it being an April Fools' joke, but recommends using preferred status codes with the GraphQL content type and OpenTelemetry tracing.

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