Child Item

Issue with Dropbox API Integration - Error 401 (Unauthorized)

Recently, I added a new folder named "App" to my Dropbox account and uploaded some files, including "addressable" files. After doing so, I obtained all the necessary data (key, secret, and token through the provided link)

Initially, everything was working smoothly, and all files were being downloaded correctly without any issues. The Dropbox cache was also functioning correctly when files were previously downloaded.

However, after some time, I started experiencing an Error 401:
HttpRequestException: Response status code does not indicate success: 401 (Unauthorized).
it appeared after a certain period of smooth operation.

Surprisingly, the error disappeared when I attempted to work on another device. However, after approximately 30-40 successful requests and normal interactions with Dropbox, the error resurfaced, and the content was no longer loading properly.

Attempted Solutions:

I tried clearing cached data, but unfortunately, it did not resolve the issue.
I verified that all the data, including the key, secret, and token, were correct.
I generated a new token as a precautionary measure, but it did not resolve the problem.

Subsequent Error:
After adding the newly generated token, the error changed to:
400 - Bad Request
And now, my application does not even launch successfully.

I am looking forward to response and a possible solution to this issue.

P.S.

Update:
I managed to resolve the Error 400 issue by regenerating the API key once again, and now everything is working fine. The files are downloading correctly.

Upon further investigation, I have discovered that the Error 401 occurs consistently whenever there is a change in the folder structure. Interestingly, everything returns to normal and functions correctly after I regenerate the API token. While this workaround has resolved the issue, I am curious to know if this behavior is considered normal or if there is a more permanent solution.

Additionally, I would like to inquire if this folder structure change issue will also apply to changes in file names. If so, it would mean having to regenerate the token every time a folder or file name is modified, which could be cumbersome.

I seek the assistance of the support team to understand the root cause of the problem thoroughly. Knowing the cause will help me avoid encountering similar issues in the future and ensure a more stable integration with Dropbox API.

Find more posts tagged with

API

Abuse

Comments

Greg-DB

If you're getting a 401 error after a few hours, that's likely because you're using an expired short-lived access token. The response body should contain 'expired_access_token' in that case.

For reference, Dropbox is no longer offering the option for creating new long-lived access tokens. Dropbox is now issuing short-lived access tokens (and optional refresh tokens) instead of long-lived access tokens. You can find more information on this migration here.

Apps can still get long-term access by requesting "offline" access though, in which case the app receives a "refresh token" that can be used to retrieve new short-lived access tokens as needed, without further manual user intervention. You can find more information in the OAuth Guide and authorization documentation. There's a basic outline of processing this flow in this blog post which may serve as a useful example.

In any case, print out the response body for any 4xx error you get from the API so you can check for an error message. The error message should indicate why the call failed.

If you still need help, please reply with:

the name and version number of the platform and SDK/library you are using, if any
the steps to reproduce the issue, including relevant code snippet(s), but don't include any access or refresh token(s)
the full text of any error or unexpected output, including the response body