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AI / Core OpenAI Codex Application Fundamentals Interview Questions

How do you implement error handling in OpenAI API applications?

Robust error handling is essential for production OpenAI applications. The Python SDK raises typed exceptions that map to HTTP error codes, allowing fine-grained recovery strategies per error type.

import openai
from openai import OpenAI
import time

client = OpenAI()

def robust_api_call(prompt: str) -> str:
    """Production-ready API call with comprehensive error handling."""
    try:
        response = client.responses.create(
            model="gpt-5.5",
            input=prompt,
            timeout=30.0,
        )
        return response.output_text

    except openai.AuthenticationError as e:
        # 401 - Invalid API key
        raise ValueError("Invalid API key. Check OPENAI_API_KEY.") from e

    except openai.PermissionDeniedError as e:
        # 403 - Access denied to model or feature
        raise PermissionError(f"Permission denied: {e.message}") from e

    except openai.RateLimitError as e:
        # 429 - Rate limited: implement exponential backoff
        for attempt in range(5):
            wait = (2 ** attempt) + 0.1
            time.sleep(wait)
            try:
                return client.responses.create(model="gpt-5.5", input=prompt).output_text
            except openai.RateLimitError:
                continue
        raise

    except openai.BadRequestError as e:
        # 400 - Invalid request (bad parameters, context overflow)
        if "context_length_exceeded" in str(e):
            raise ValueError("Prompt too long - reduce input size.") from e
        raise

    except openai.InternalServerError as e:
        # 500 - OpenAI server error: retry with backoff
        time.sleep(5)
        return client.responses.create(model="gpt-5.5", input=prompt).output_text

    except openai.APIConnectionError as e:
        # Network error: check connectivity
        raise ConnectionError("Network error connecting to OpenAI API.") from e

    except openai.APITimeoutError as e:
        # Request timed out
        raise TimeoutError("API request timed out.") from e

OpenAI exception types
ExceptionHTTP codeWhen raised
AuthenticationError401Invalid or missing API key
PermissionDeniedError403Insufficient permissions for model/feature
RateLimitError429RPM or TPM limit exceeded
BadRequestError400Invalid parameters or context overflow
InternalServerError500Transient OpenAI server failure
APIConnectionErrorN/ANetwork connectivity failure
APITimeoutErrorN/ARequest exceeded timeout setting
Which exception should you catch to handle OpenAI API rate limiting, and what is the recommended response?
What does openai.BadRequestError with 'context_length_exceeded' indicate?

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