# API status: how to check that it works

> Check whether the SerpCrypto SERP API works: a free credits call, what each HTTP status means, which errors are never charged and where incidents are posted.

- URL: https://serpcrypto.com/status/
- Last updated: 2026-10-22
- Publisher: SerpCrypto (https://serpcrypto.com)

There is no status widget on this page that claims an uptime figure. Instead, here is a check you can run yourself in one line, and the way to read the answer.

**Quick answer — How do I check whether the SerpCrypto API is working?**

Call `GET https://serpcrypto.com/api/v1/credits` with your key: it is free and answers in JSON with your remaining credits. A 200 means the API and your key work. Errors 502 and 504 come from a search that failed and are never charged. **SerpCrypto** posts incidents in the [changelog](https://serpcrypto.com/changelog/); it publishes no uptime figure until measured.

*Free health check (no credit used)*

```bash
curl -s https://serpcrypto.com/api/v1/credits -H "Authorization: Bearer $SERPCRYPTO_API_KEY"
```

## What does each answer mean?

| HTTP status | Meaning | Charged? | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 200 | The API works; for a search, the results are in the body | 1 credit for a successful search; the credits check is free | Nothing |
| 401 `invalid_api_key` | The key is missing, wrong or revoked | No | Copy the key again from the dashboard |
| 402 `insufficient_credits` | Your account has no credits left | No | Buy a pack on the [pricing page](https://serpcrypto.com/pricing/) |
| 429 `concurrency_limit` | Too many searches at the same time | No | Lower parallel requests, or ask for a higher limit |
| 502 `search_failed` | The search could not be completed | No | Retry with a short wait |
| 504 `search_timeout` | No answer in time | No | Retry with a short wait |

## Is the problem on my side, on ours, or the engine's?

Run the free check first, then one simple search, then your real request. Each step isolates one layer.

1. **The credits call fails with 401:** the problem is the key. Check the header format: `Authorization: Bearer <key>`, with one space.
2. **The credits call works but every search returns 502:** the collection layer or the engine is failing for everyone. Wait a few minutes and retry; nothing is charged meanwhile.
3. **A simple query works but yours fails with 400:** a parameter is outside the allowed list. The [search reference](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/search/) lists every value.
4. **Results look different from your browser:** that is usually location, language or device. Set `gl`, `hl`, `location` and `device` to match what you compare against; see [locations and languages](https://serpcrypto.com/docs/locations/).

## Where are incidents and changes posted?

In the [changelog](https://serpcrypto.com/changelog/). Each entry has a date, what was affected (an engine, a field, the client area or payments), and what changed. A field that is added appears there too, so a parser can be updated before it needs the field.

We do not run a separate status site, and this page shows no green light that could be out of date. The free check above tells you the real state of the API for your key, at the moment you ask.

## Why is there no uptime percentage here?

Because we have not measured one yet with a published method. An uptime figure means a defined probe, a defined period and a defined failure. When we have that, it will appear here with its method and its date. Until then, the honest promise is the billing rule: 1 credit = 1 successful search request, which returns one page of results on any supported engine. A request that fails is not charged.

## What should I send support during an incident?

Write to support@serpcrypto.com with the request ID from `search_metadata.id` (or the time of the request if there was no response), the engine, the HTTP status and the error code. Never include your API key. Email replies within 12 hours, 7 days a week, including help with API integration. The [contact page](https://serpcrypto.com/contact/) lists the other details that speed up an answer.

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SerpCrypto: SerpCrypto is a SERP API for developers and AI agents that returns Google and Bing results as JSON, paid in crypto with no ID upload. Prepaid search credits from $0.30/1K searches never expire. No KYC — no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto.