Better BULK operation error response, providing offending object -> error correlation #1489

New Issue

MrUnknownDE · 2026-04-06T02:22:37+02:00

MrUnknownDE commented

2026-04-06 02:22:37 +02:00

Originally created by @jseifeddine on 8/8/2025

NetBox version

v4.3.4

Feature type

New functionality

Proposed functionality

For bulk list-endpoint updates (e.g., PATCH to .../api/dcim/interfaces/), return a structured error payload that correlates each submitted object with its validation outcome.
Return per-object validation errors so clients can identify and retry only the failing items.

Response shape (example) when any item fails:

{
  "detail": "One or more objects failed validation",
  "results": [
    { "id": 1, "status": "ok" },
    {
      "id": 2,
      "status": "error",
      "errors": {
        "description": ["Ensure this field has no more than 200 characters."]
      }
    },
    { "id": 3, "status": "ok" }
  ],
  "succeeded": [1, 3],
  "failed": [2]
}

Success case (all pass) remains unchanged (200 with updated objects).
Error status remains 400 to preserve backward compatibility; the new body adds per-object detail.
Optional enhancement (non-breaking, future-friendly): support an HTTP 207 Multi-Status alternative or a query flag (e.g., ?verbose_errors=true) to opt into the detailed error shape.

Use case

When performing large bulk updates (e.g., 100–1000 objects), a single invalid item currently returns an aggregate field error without indicating which object(s) failed (e.g., {"description": ["Ensure this field has no more than 200 characters."]}).
Clients must then bisect or iterate requests to isolate the bad object(s), incurring extra API calls and complexity.
With per-object error correlation, clients can:
- Immediately identify the offending ID(s)
- Drop or correct invalid items
- Retry only the problematic subset
This significantly reduces operational time and complexity for workflows that rely on bulk operations (inventory sync, onboarding, mass edits).

Database changes

None. This is an API response enhancement in the bulk update path (e.g., BulkUpdateModelMixin) and serializers; no model or schema changes required.

External dependencies

None

*Originally created by @jseifeddine on 8/8/2025* ### NetBox version v4.3.4 ### Feature type New functionality ### Proposed functionality - For bulk list-endpoint updates (e.g., PATCH to `.../api/dcim/interfaces/`), return a structured error payload that correlates each submitted object with its validation outcome. - Return per-object validation errors so clients can identify and retry only the failing items. - Response shape (example) when any item fails: ```json { "detail": "One or more objects failed validation", "results": [ { "id": 1, "status": "ok" }, { "id": 2, "status": "error", "errors": { "description": ["Ensure this field has no more than 200 characters."] } }, { "id": 3, "status": "ok" } ], "succeeded": [1, 3], "failed": [2] } ``` - Success case (all pass) remains unchanged (200 with updated objects). - Error status remains 400 to preserve backward compatibility; the new body adds per-object detail. - Optional enhancement (non-breaking, future-friendly): support an HTTP 207 Multi-Status alternative or a query flag (e.g., `?verbose_errors=true`) to opt into the detailed error shape. ### Use case - When performing large bulk updates (e.g., 100–1000 objects), a single invalid item currently returns an aggregate field error without indicating which object(s) failed (e.g., `{"description": ["Ensure this field has no more than 200 characters."]}`). - Clients must then bisect or iterate requests to isolate the bad object(s), incurring extra API calls and complexity. - With per-object error correlation, clients can: - Immediately identify the offending ID(s) - Drop or correct invalid items - Retry only the problematic subset - This significantly reduces operational time and complexity for workflows that rely on bulk operations (inventory sync, onboarding, mass edits). ### Database changes - None. This is an API response enhancement in the bulk update path (e.g., `BulkUpdateModelMixin`) and serializers; no model or schema changes required. ### External dependencies - None

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21455-sql-indexes-audit

21357-register-model-actions

feature

20924-plugin-ui-components

21766-improve-test-coverage-for-sortable-table-columns

21157-export-template-public-models

21025-pre-render-config-contexts

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fix-19669-api-image-download

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19275-fixes-interface-bulk-edit

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medium complexity: medium complexity: medium complexity: medium complexity: medium complexity: medium complexity: medium complexity: medium complexity: medium complexity: medium complexity: medium complexity: medium complexity: medium complexity: medium netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox netbox 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Reference: github/netbox#1489