502

Bad Gateway

5xx Server Error The server got an invalid response while working as a gateway

Code Examples

Here are examples of how to test HTTP 502 responses in different programming languages:

Select options below to see how to use advanced features in your code:

Request:
curl https://free.mockerapi.com/502
Response Body:
{
  "success": false,
  "status": 502,
  "statusText": "Bad Gateway - The server got an invalid response while working as a gateway",
  "timestamp": "2025-10-08T10:30:45.123Z",
  "request": {
    "method": "GET",
    "url": "/502",
    "fullUrl": "https://free.mockerapi.com/502"
  }
}
Request:
fetch('https://free.mockerapi.com/502')
  .then(response => {
    console.log('Status:', response.status); // 502
    return response.json();
  })
  .then(data => {
    console.log('Response:', data);
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error('Error:', error);
  });
Response Body:
{
  "success": false,
  "status": 502,
  "statusText": "Bad Gateway - The server got an invalid response while working as a gateway",
  "timestamp": "2025-10-08T10:30:45.123Z",
  "request": {
    "method": "GET",
    "url": "/502",
    "fullUrl": "https://free.mockerapi.com/502"
  }
}
Request:
import requests

response = requests.get('https://free.mockerapi.com/502')

print(f'Status Code: {response.status_code}')  # 502
print(f'Response: {response.json()}')
Response Body:
{
  "success": false,
  "status": 502,
  "statusText": "Bad Gateway - The server got an invalid response while working as a gateway",
  "timestamp": "2025-10-08T10:30:45.123Z",
  "request": {
    "method": "GET",
    "url": "/502",
    "fullUrl": "https://free.mockerapi.com/502"
  }
}
Request:
Response Body:
{
  "success": false,
  "status": 502,
  "statusText": "Bad Gateway - The server got an invalid response while working as a gateway",
  "timestamp": "2025-10-08T10:30:45.123Z",
  "request": {
    "method": "GET",
    "url": "/502",
    "fullUrl": "https://free.mockerapi.com/502"
  }
}
Request:
require 'net/http'
require 'json'

uri = URI('https://free.mockerapi.com/502')
response = Net::HTTP.get_response(uri)

puts "Status Code: #{response.code}"  # 502
puts "Response: #{JSON.parse(response.body)}"
Response Body:
{
  "success": false,
  "status": 502,
  "statusText": "Bad Gateway - The server got an invalid response while working as a gateway",
  "timestamp": "2025-10-08T10:30:45.123Z",
  "request": {
    "method": "GET",
    "url": "/502",
    "fullUrl": "https://free.mockerapi.com/502"
  }
}
Request:
package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "io"
    "net/http"
)

func main() {
    resp, err := http.Get("https://free.mockerapi.com/502")
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    defer resp.Body.Close()

    fmt.Printf("Status Code: %d\n", resp.StatusCode)  // 502

    body, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }

    fmt.Printf("Response: %s\n", body)
}
Response Body:
{
  "success": false,
  "status": 502,
  "statusText": "Bad Gateway - The server got an invalid response while working as a gateway",
  "timestamp": "2025-10-08T10:30:45.123Z",
  "request": {
    "method": "GET",
    "url": "/502",
    "fullUrl": "https://free.mockerapi.com/502"
  }
}
Request:
import java.net.http.*;
import java.net.URI;

public class HttpStatusTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        HttpClient client = HttpClient.newHttpClient();
        HttpRequest request = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
            .uri(URI.create("https://free.mockerapi.com/502"))
            .GET()
            .build();

        HttpResponse response = client.send(request,
            HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString());

        System.out.println("Status Code: " + response.statusCode());  // 502
        System.out.println("Response: " + response.body());
    }
}
Response Body:
{
  "success": false,
  "status": 502,
  "statusText": "Bad Gateway - The server got an invalid response while working as a gateway",
  "timestamp": "2025-10-08T10:30:45.123Z",
  "request": {
    "method": "GET",
    "url": "/502",
    "fullUrl": "https://free.mockerapi.com/502"
  }
}
Request:
const https = require('https');

https.get('https://free.mockerapi.com/502', (res) => {
  console.log('Status Code:', res.statusCode);  // 502

  let data = '';

  res.on('data', (chunk) => {
    data += chunk;
  });

  res.on('end', () => {
    console.log('Response:', JSON.parse(data));
  });
}).on('error', (err) => {
  console.error('Error:', err.message);
});
Response Body:
{
  "success": false,
  "status": 502,
  "statusText": "Bad Gateway - The server got an invalid response while working as a gateway",
  "timestamp": "2025-10-08T10:30:45.123Z",
  "request": {
    "method": "GET",
    "url": "/502",
    "fullUrl": "https://free.mockerapi.com/502"
  }
}

What is HTTP 502 Bad Gateway?

HTTP 502 Bad Gateway is a generic server-side error response that indicates the server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request. This is a catch-all error status code when the server cannot be more specific about the error condition or when no other error status code is suitable.

Unlike client-side 4xx errors, a 502 error indicates that the problem is on the server's end, not with the client's request. The server should include information about the error condition in the response body, though specifics are often limited for security reasons.

When Does This Happen?

A 502 Bad Gateway response is returned when the server encounters an unexpected error that prevents it from processing the request. Common scenarios include:

  • Unhandled exceptions or runtime errors in server code
  • Database connection failures or query errors
  • Server misconfiguration issues
  • Resource exhaustion (memory, disk space)
  • Third-party service failures that the server depends on
  • Bugs in the application code

Try It Live

Click the button below to make a live request and see the 502 Bad Gateway response

Common Use Cases

🔥 Error Handling Testing

Test how your application handles critical server errors and displays appropriate error messages to users.

🎯 Monitoring & Alerting

Verify that your monitoring systems correctly detect and alert on 502 errors in production.

🔄 Retry Logic Testing

Test exponential backoff and retry mechanisms when encountering server errors.

📊 Analytics Integration

Ensure server errors are properly tracked in analytics and error reporting tools.

🛡️ Graceful Degradation

Test fallback mechanisms and graceful degradation when primary services fail.

📝 Documentation Examples

Provide examples of error handling in API documentation with working endpoints.

Related Server Error Status Codes