Status codes reading in Postman - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding HTTP 404 Status Code

What does the HTTP status code 404 indicate when received in a response?

A The requested resource was not found on the server.

B The client is not authorized to access the requested resource.

C The server encountered an internal error and could not complete the request.

D The request was successful and the server returned the requested data.

💡 Hint

Think about what happens when you try to visit a webpage that does not exist.

The 404 status code means the server could not find the requested resource. It is a common response when a URL is incorrect or the resource has been removed.

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

Interpreting a 201 Created Response

In Postman, you send a POST request to create a new user. The server responds with status code 201. What does this status code mean?

A The server could not process the request due to a syntax error.

B The server refused the request due to invalid credentials.

C The server is redirecting the client to a different URL.

D The server successfully created the resource as requested.

💡 Hint

201 is a success code related to resource creation.

Status code 201 means the request was successful and a new resource was created on the server.

❓ assertion

advanced

Validating Response Status in Postman Tests

Which Postman test script correctly asserts that the response status code is 200?

Postman

pm.test('Status code is 200', function () {
    pm.response.to.have.status(200);
});

A pm.test.status(200);

B pm.response.status(200);

C pm.response.to.have.status(200);

D pm.response.assertStatus(200);

💡 Hint

Look for the correct Postman assertion syntax for status codes.

The correct way to assert status code 200 in Postman is using pm.response.to.have.status(200);. Other options are invalid methods.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Identifying the Cause of a 500 Internal Server Error

You receive a 500 status code in Postman after sending a GET request. What is the most likely cause?

A The requested resource was not found on the server.

B There is a problem on the server preventing it from fulfilling the request.

C The client sent a malformed request that the server could not understand.

D The client is not authorized to access the resource.

💡 Hint

500 errors are server-side problems.

A 500 Internal Server Error means the server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request.

❓ framework

expert

Choosing the Correct Status Code for Unauthorized Access

In a REST API tested with Postman, which HTTP status code should be returned when a user tries to access a resource without valid authentication?

A 401 Unauthorized

B 403 Forbidden

C 404 Not Found

D 400 Bad Request

💡 Hint

Consider the difference between authentication and authorization errors.

401 Unauthorized means the user is not authenticated. 403 Forbidden means authenticated but not allowed. 404 means resource missing. 400 means bad request syntax.