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Module · 5 lessons

HTTP Done Right: Status, Errors, Forms & Files

Speak HTTP fluently — return the right status codes and response types, handle errors cleanly, and accept headers, cookies, form data, and file uploads.

Start module Back to FastAPI: Build Production APIs in Python

At a glance

Level
Beginner to Intermediate
Lessons
5 lessons
Time to complete
1 week
Cost
Free forever · no sign-up

Welcome to HTTP Done Right, the third module of the course. Your Task Manager already reads and creates tasks — but a real API does more than return data: it communicates clearly. It says “201 Created” when something is made, “404 Not Found” when it isn’t there, and “422” when input is invalid. It accepts more than JSON, too — login forms, request headers, cookies, and uploaded files. This module is about making your API a well-behaved member of the web.

You’ll learn to return the right status codes and choose response types beyond JSON, raise clean errors with HTTPException and write custom exception handlers for your own error cases, and read headers, cookies, and form data. Then you’ll handle file uploads — accepting a file, reading its contents, and reporting on it. The module ends with a guided project that hardens the Task Manager’s endpoints with proper status codes, real error handling, and a file attachment.

Every example is real, runnable code verified end to end. Start with Lesson 1, where you’ll give your responses the right status codes.

Lessons in this module

1 Status Codes and Response Types Make your API communicate clearly: return the right HTTP status code for each outcome and choose the right response type beyond plain JSON. 2 Handling Errors Return clean, correct errors: raise HTTPException with the right status code and a clear message, and write custom handlers that turn your own exceptions into tidy responses. 3 Headers, Cookies, and Forms Read inputs beyond the path and JSON body: request headers, cookies, and HTML form data, each declared with a simple parameter type. 4 Working with Files Accept file uploads with UploadFile, read and validate their contents, and send files back to clients for download. 5 Guided Project: Robust Task Endpoints Harden the Task Manager into a proper HTTP service: correct status codes, real 404s, a 204 delete, and a file-attachment endpoint — all verified.
Achievement

Complete all 5 lessons to finish the HTTP Done Right: Status, Errors, Forms & Files module.

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