FME Flow Troubleshooting: REST API

Full Guide: FME Flow Troubleshooting Guide

Are you encountering issues accessing or invoking the FME Flow (formerly FME Server) REST API? Please read below for some common troubleshooting tips, questions and resources.

In 2023, FME Server underwent a name change and is now known as FME Flow. Since this article discusses features present in previous versions of FME, it will refer to both names interchangeably, using the appropriate product name based on the year the feature was introduced. For more information on the rebranding, see our website. 
 

Content Overview

• Initial Troubleshooting
  • Are you seeing this error in the FME Flow UI? “There was a problem communicating with the REST API”
  • ​​​​ Are you trying to access the FME Flow REST API in an HTTP call?
• Common Issues
  • “My FME Flow Token has changed or Expired”
  • “REST API V1 no longer works”
• Are you still experiencing issues?
• Have ideas on how to improve this?

Initial Troubleshooting

• Are you able to access the main http(s)://<hostname>:<port>/fmeserver page? If not, this may be a symptom of a larger issue.
• Log Files that may help identify errors include both FME Flow and Tomcat – these can be accessed via file system. 

• Can you try using a different web browser? You may also consider testing in a private window or emptying the cache or deleting cookies.

 Are you seeing this error in the FME Flow UI? “There was a problem communicating with the REST API”

If so, view the developer tools to see if there are any errors. To do this follow the steps below:

• Right-click and select inspect
• In the side panel go to the Network Tab
• Refresh the page
• See if there are any errors

If you do create a support case please download the HAR file and attach it to the case.

​​​​ Are you trying to access the FME Flow REST API in an HTTP call?

If so, try the following tips:

• What version of the REST API are you using? Try using the latest version.
• Are you receiving any response codes? You can cross-reference error codes with the REST API documentation.
• Are you using a valid token? And does it have proper permissions for the component(s) you are accessing via REST? Try creating a token with all permissions to test.

Common Issues

“My FME Flow Token has changed or Expired”

It’s possible for tokens to expire and this would cause REST API calls to fail. To learn how to manage tokens in FME Flow, see Token Management in FME Flow. 
 

“REST API VX no longer works”

The FME Flow REST API has been released in multiple versions. Older versions of the REST API may already be deprecated (V1, V2) and others are scheduled for deprecation (V3). Review the FME Deprecations page for any announcements related to deprecations. 

Are you still experiencing issues?

Please consider posting to the FME Community Q&A  if you are still experiencing issues that are not addressed in this article. There are also different support channels available.
 

Have ideas on how to improve this?

You can add ideas or product suggestions to our Ideas Exchange.