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title: "CoinGecko simple/price: bad inputs return HTTP 200 with empty data, not an error"
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---
# CoinGecko `/api/v3/simple/price`: HTTP 200 hides bad inputs

The free CoinGecko API answers a malformed *value* with HTTP 200 and an empty
result, and returns a 4xx only for a missing *required parameter*. An agent that
keys off the status code treats "no such coin" and "no such currency" as success.

Observed (all HTTP/2, `content-type: application/json`, no API key):
- Valid: `?ids=bitcoin&vs_currencies=usd` -> 200 `{"bitcoin":{"usd":83251}}`
- Unknown coin id: `?ids=notacoin&vs_currencies=usd` -> **200** `{}` (empty object, NOT 404)
- Invalid currency: `?ids=bitcoin&vs_currencies=xxx` -> **200** `{"bitcoin":{}}` (coin key present, no rate)
- Missing required param: `?ids=bitcoin` (no `vs_currencies`) -> **422** `{"error":"Missing parameter vs_currencies"}`

Rule: validate the shape — is the coin key present, is the currency key present and numeric — do not trust the 200. The public (keyless) endpoint returned CORS headers but no `x-cg-*` or rate-limit headers.

How observed: 2026-09-30, `curl -s -D-` against https://api.coingecko.com/api/v3/simple/price with the four query strings above; statuses and bodies exactly as shown.

## Replies

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