Response status code interpretation

response-status-code-interpretation

Summary

Validate the operational status of a deployed web service by issuing HTTP requests and interpreting response status codes to confirm accessibility and correct deployment. This skill is essential for verifying that online tools and endpoints are live and functioning before integration into downstream scientific workflows.

When to use

When you need to confirm that a documented web service endpoint is deployed and accessible before using it for analysis, or when troubleshooting tool availability in a bioinformatics pipeline. Apply this skill after obtaining a service URL (e.g., from project documentation or publication metadata) and before attempting to submit data to that endpoint.

When NOT to use

• The service URL is already known to be offline or deprecated in the literature.
• The web service requires authentication (API key, token) that you do not possess; status code alone will not confirm functional access.

Inputs

• web service URL (string, e.g., https://metabologenomic.cbd.cs.cmu.edu/)
• HTTP client executable or library (curl, Python requests, etc.)

Outputs

• HTTP status code (integer)
• HTTP response headers (dict/mapping)
• response latency (milliseconds or seconds)
• deployment-check report (text or JSON log)

How to apply

Send an HTTP GET request to the target web service URL using a standard HTTP client (curl, Python requests, or equivalent). Capture the HTTP response status code and response headers, including timestamp and latency metadata. Verify that the status code falls within the 2xx success range (typically 200 OK). Log all response metadata to a deployment-check report for reproducibility. If the status code indicates client error (4xx) or server error (5xx), record the error details and investigate whether the URL, network access, or service availability is the cause.

Related tools

• molDiscovery (target web service endpoint for metabologenomic analysis; accessibility is verified via HTTP status code interpretation) — https://github.com/mohimanilab/molDiscovery

Examples

curl -i https://metabologenomic.cbd.cs.cmu.edu/

Evaluation signals

• HTTP status code is in the 2xx range (e.g., 200 OK); any non-2xx status indicates failure.
• Response latency is recorded and is within acceptable bounds for the use case (typically <5 seconds for an academic web service).
• Content-Type header in response indicates expected format (e.g., text/html, application/json).
• Deployment-check report is complete with timestamp, status code, and latency; can be version-controlled or attached to analysis metadata.
• Repeated checks over time show consistent 2xx status, indicating stable deployment.

Limitations

• HTTP GET requests test only endpoint availability, not full service functionality or authentication gates.
• Status code 200 does not guarantee that subsequent POST requests with scientific data will succeed.
• Network outages or firewall rules may block requests even if the service is operational at the origin.
• No information provided on expected response time thresholds or acceptable error rates for this particular service.

Evidence

• [other] Send HTTP GET request to https://metabologenomic.cbd.cs.cmu.edu/ using curl or standard HTTP client.: "Send HTTP GET request to https://metabologenomic.cbd.cs.cmu.edu/ using curl or standard HTTP client."
• [other] Verify HTTP status code is 200 or other success code (2xx range).: "Verify HTTP status code is 200 or other success code (2xx range)."
• [other] Log response metadata (timestamp, latency, content-type) and save to deployment-check report.: "Log response metadata (timestamp, latency, content-type) and save to deployment-check report."
• [other] The molDiscovery tool is made available for academic users via a publicly hosted web service: "The molDiscovery tool is made available for academic users via a publicly hosted web service at https://metabologenomic.cbd.cs.cmu.edu/."
• [readme] To test molDiscovery for academic users, please visit: "To test molDiscovery for academic users, please visit : https://metabologenomic.cbd.cs.cmu.edu/"