Airtable API POST request fails with validation error

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1

I’m having trouble adding records to my Airtable base using Python. Every time I try to send data through a POST request, I get a validation error message.

Here’s what I’m working with:

import requests

# API endpoint for my base
base_url = "https://api.airtable.com/v0/appXYZ123/Students?api_key=MYAPIKEY"

# Record data I want to add
record_info = {
    'fields': {
        'StudentName': 'John Smith'
    }
}

# Making the POST request
response = requests.post(url=base_url, data=record_info)

# Check what came back
print(response.text)

But when I run this code, I keep getting this error:

{"error":{"type":"INVALID_REQUEST_UNKNOWN","message":"Invalid request: parameter validation failed. Check your request data."}}

I’ve double checked my API key and base ID multiple times. The table exists and I have write permissions. What could be causing this validation error? Any help would be really appreciated!

2

Same headache here last week lol. You’re missing headers - that’s why validation fails. Send as JSON, not form data. Try: headers = {'Authorization': 'Bearer YOURAPIKEY', 'Content-Type': 'application/json'} and use json=record_info in your post request. Also check your field names match Airtable exactly - they’re case sensitive.

3

Your problem’s probably the request format. I ran into this exact issue - turns out putting the API key in the URL isn’t the way to go anymore. Move it to the Authorization header instead. Here’s what worked for me: ditch the api_key parameter from your URL, then add headers with your bearer token: headers = {'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY', 'Content-Type': 'application/json'}. Also use json=record_info instead of data=record_info in your POST request. That combo of proper auth headers and JSON formatting should fix your validation error.

4

Been dealing with Airtable API quirks for years and this one trips up everyone. You’re sending form data when Airtable wants JSON.

Switch your POST call to use the json parameter instead of data. Also wrap your record in a “records” array:

record_info = {
    'records': [{
        'fields': {
            'StudentName': 'John Smith'
        }
    }]
}

response = requests.post(url=base_url, json=record_info)

This format lets you send multiple records at once too, which is handy for bulk operations. I’ve seen this exact validation error probably 50 times when people forget the records array wrapper.

If you’re still getting errors, check that your field name exactly matches what’s in Airtable - it’s case sensitive.

5

I encountered a similar issue with the Airtable API when I first started using it. It’s important to ensure that the data format aligns with what Airtable expects. Instead of using the ‘data’ parameter in the ‘requests.post()’ call, switch to ‘json’. This change tells the API to interpret the data as JSON rather than form-encoded. Additionally, it’s essential to set the ‘Content-Type’ header to ‘application/json’. Use the following code: response = requests.post(url=base_url, json=record_info, headers={'Content-Type': 'application/json'}). This should resolve your validation error.

6

Had this exact problem six months ago when I started with Airtable’s API. Your request structure’s wrong, but there’s something others missed - you’re using the old authentication method. The api_key parameter in URLs is deprecated now. You need Bearer token authentication in headers instead. Strip the api_key from your URL completely: https://api.airtable.com/v0/appXYZ123/Students. Then add proper headers with your API key as a Bearer token. Double-check your field names match Airtable exactly - I once spent hours debugging because of a single space character difference. Fix the authentication headers and JSON formatting and your validation error should disappear.