HTTP 422 Unprocessable Content

What is HTTP 422 Unprocessable Content?

The 422 (Unprocessable Content) status code indicates that the server understands the content type and syntax of the request body but was unable to process the contained instructions. In REST APIs, this is commonly used for validation errors — the request format is correct but the data is invalid.

Common Use Cases

• Form validation errors in API
• Missing required fields in request body
• Invalid data format or constraints violation

// Laravel - validation errors return 422 automatically
$request->validate([
    'email' => 'required|email',
    'password' => 'required|min:8',
]);

// Returns {"message": "...", "errors": {"email": [...], "password": [...]}} with 422