What does "Response from external API not JSON" mean?

When ItemPath sends a confirmation to an external system (such as an ERP or WMS) via Data Push, it expects a response back formatted in standard JSON. If the external system responds with something else, such as an HTML error page, plain text, or an empty response, ItemPath will log the error: Response from external API not JSON. 

Understanding the Response

This message simply means that ItemPath could not parse the response into a structured JSON format. It does not automatically mean the data transfer failed on the receiving end. For example, some external systems are configured to always return a success confirmation as an HTML page. 

To gain some insight into what actually happened, you can look at the HTTP Status Code returned alongside the message in the logs. Here are some examples:

• 200 / 201: The external system likely received and processed the data successfully, but sent its confirmation back in a non-JSON format (like HTML).
• 404: The external system encountered an issue (such as an authentication failure, a broken URL endpoint, or an internal server crash) and returned an error page instead of data.

Next Steps

Because this behaviour is entirely controlled by the receiving platform, ItemPath cannot resolve the formatting discrepancy. If you see this error, please reach out to your internal IT team, ERP administrator, or the provider who manages the external system. Provide them with the status code and timestamp of the payload from the Data Push logs so that they can investigate how their system is handling and responding to the request.