Error 401 Arduino ESP8266

Hello,

I tried posting some values from my ESP8266 to thingspeak but it failed with an 401 error.

To be sure that the error was not in my code I tred loading the example code "WriteMultipleFields" with no changes, created a new channel and renewed the API key mulitple times.

This is the error message:

Connected.

ts::setField (field: 1 value: "0")

ts::setField (field: 2 value: "3")

ts::setField (field: 3 value: "31")

ts::setField (field: 4 value: "88")

ts::setStatus(status: field1 is less than field2")

Connect to default ThingSpeak: api.thingspeak.com:80...Success.

ts::writeFields (channelNumber: 964373 writeAPIKey: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Got Status of 200

Content Length: 1

Found end of header

Response: "0"

Entry ID "0" (0)

disconnected.

Problem updating channel. HTTP error code -401

Any suggestions on what could be wrong?

Answer 1

[Vinod]

Are you still seeing a '0' response code to your requests to update a channel?

[Ctreb]

Thanks, statuscode 2 now and updtes works as expected.

Answer 2

[Christopher Stapels]

Are you able to update your channel from a web browser?

Use the format

https://api.thingspeak.com/update?api_key=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx$field1=432

On the Error Codes page you can see the 401 is authorization required. Since ThingSpeak has a lot of API keys, it is possible that you grabbed the wrong key. Be sure its the channel write api key from the api keys tabl of the channel view.

Let us know if that works. If not, we can look into it further.

Answer 3

[Ctreb]

Hello,

Response code 0 and no update.

Answer 4

[David Bird]

Hello,

I'm also getting 401 authriosation errors when using the Bulk update API:

The delta-time version works OK:

{

"write_api_key": "WRITE_API_KEY",

"updates": [{

"delta_t": 4,

"field1": 1.0,

"field2": "2.0"

},

{

"delta_t": 2,

"field1": 1.1,

"field2": 2.2,

"elevation": 6,

"status": "Good"

}

]

}

But the absolute time version does not:

{

"write_api_key": "WRITE_API_KEY",

"updates": [{

"created_at": "2020-03-23 09:26:02 -0000",

"field1": "1.0",

"field2": "2.0"

},

{

"created_at": "2020-03-23 10:27:27 -0000",

"field1": "1.1",

"field2": "2.2",

}

]

}

The JSON response from the server is:

{"status":"401","error":{"error_code":"error_auth_required","message":"Authorization Required","details":"Please provide proper authentication details."}}

So in the delta time version the Channel ID and Write key are correct and authorise, but in the absolute time variant they fail - it seems. I'm using

http://api.thingspeak.com/channels/channelID/bulk_update.json

I note others have seen the same problem. It looks like there is an API problem.

[Christopher Stapels]

You have an extra comma in the second example:

"field2": "2.2",

should be

"field2": "2.2"

When I send it without to comma, it works. (with my write key and channel ID).

When I send it with the comma, I get a 400 error, not a 401. Can you check again and report if you are still seeing that error? We definitely want to be sure the correct error is returned.

Answer 5

[David Bird]

Actually that was an example from the API and I deleted a field, thereby leaving that stray ',', sorry about that. Heres a copy of my upload:

{

"write_api_key": "WRITE_API_KEY",

"updates": [{

"created_at": "2020-03-23 19:01:26 -0000",

"field1": 20.0,

"field2": 51.7,

"field3": 1026

},

{

"created_at": "2020-03-23 19:02:28 -0000",

"field1": 20.1

"field2": 51.7

"field3": 1026

}

]

}

Which returns 401 authroisation required.

[David Bird]

the channel numbner is 87123

[Christopher Stapels]

Are you able to update the channel for a single field using the same api key?

For example

https://api.thingspeak.com/update?api_key=WRITE_API_KEY&field1=1230

I tried both of the examples you provided and they worked for me on my channels. The only reason I can think of theat you would get a 401 is if the API key was incorrect. Some

Are you using POSTMAN? Are you setting the content type header?

[David Bird]

I’m using an ESP32 and POST, what I’ve established is when using the delta_t API call which is identical except for ‘created_by’ so the calling mechanism works as do the channel ID and write_api_key it’s just the JSON content that’s different. So a delta_t JSON works perfectly but as others have reported the absolute time JSON does not. I’ve tried both http and https calls and they both give identical results. The JSON I copied in earlier is verbatim and it meets the API exactly. I can’t see any other error information to see what the problem might be, I reported the full response in the initial posting here.

[David Bird]

BTW is the iso8601 time format correct? Your API example does not correspond exactly to iso8691 format

[David Bird]

BTW I tried this and it works:

https://api.thingspeak.com/update?api_key=APIKEY&field1=12

You can see the entry on channel ID 87123

[David Bird]

This is my POST request code:

if (client.connect(server, 80)) { // POST data to ThingSpeak

client.println("POST /channels/" + String(THINGSPEAK_CH_ID) + "/bulk_update.json HTTP/1.1"); // Replace YOUR-CHANNEL-ID with your ThingSpeak channel ID

client.println("Host: api.thingspeak.com");

client.println("User-Agent: mw.doc.bulk-update (Arduino ESP8266)");

client.println("Connection: close");

client.println("Content-Type: application/json");

client.println("Content-Length: " + String(jsonBuffer.length()));

client.println();

client.println(jsonBuffer);

}

[Christopher Stapels]

@David BirdYou seem to be missing the API key in the latest version just above.

Answer 6

[Cosimo Carbonelli]

Sorry I have the same problem.

The content that i send through a POST to https://api.thingspeak.com/channels/MYCHANNELID/bulk_update.json is

{

"write_api_key": "MYAPIKEY",

"updates": [{

"created_at": "2020-07-24 11:34:28 -0738",

"field2": -68,

"field3": 25.4,

"field4": 1005,

"field5": 118,

"field6": 0,

"field7": 0

}]

}

and the error that I get is

{

"status": "401",

"error": {

"error_code": "error_auth_required",

"message": "Authorization Required",

"details": "Please provide proper authentication details."

}

}

but if I made GET requests using

https://api.thingspeak.com/update?api_key=MYAPIKEY&field5=118

it's all right.

What's wrong?

many thanks

Cosimo

[Cosimo Carbonelli]

Hi,

I found by myself the answer.

The problem was in the way I have built the json variable (in my Node RED environment). So it was a JavaScript problem and not a ThingSpeak API problem.

sorry

Cosimo

[cog]

Cosimo, what was it about how you were building the JSON that was causing the error?