org.springframework.web.httpmediatypenotacceptableexception: could not find acceptable representation
This exception is thrown when a client requests a specific representation of a resource, but the server is unable to provide it.
A representation refers to how a resource’s data is presented to the client. This can be in various formats like JSON, XML, HTML, etc. The client specifies the desired format using the HTTP Accept header in the request.
When the server receives a request, it processes it and tries to find an appropriate representation that matches the client’s accept header. If it cannot find a suitable representation, the org.springframework.web.httpmediatypenotacceptableexception is thrown.
Example:
Let’s say we have a REST API that provides user data. It can return data in JSON and XML formats. If a client sends a request with the Accept: application/pdf header, indicating that it wants the response in PDF format, but our API does not support PDF representation, the server will throw this exception.
GET /api/users HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
Accept: application/pdf
In the example above, the server does not have a suitable representation for the requested Accept header. It could respond with an HTTP 406 Not Acceptable status code or throw the org.springframework.web.httpmediatypenotacceptableexception.
To handle this exception, you can customize the error response or return a more appropriate message to the client, suggesting the supported representations or advising the client to change the Accept header.