No waiter worth their salt would crack a joke after they tell you that the kitchen has a problem with your order. Same in development, right?
Wrong! Back in 1998, a group of developers jokingly proposed the Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol and error 418 I’m a teapot (which is not a recognized standard server error type). However, perhaps because of its mega-meme status, many development teams have implemented “I’m a Teapot” in their applications and APIs, often using the code as a catch-all for bugs that are difficult to classify. However, well-intentioned, jokes can fall flat. For example, the May 2018 worldwide failure of NPM JavaScript package manager, which greeted developers with “ERR! 418 I’m a teapot” when they attempted to install or update a JavaScript Node.js package.
Humor is a great thing, but it shouldn’t compromise professionalism. Teams should be judicious in their use of error codes, avoiding jokes which may not be relevant to a frustrated user. In cases where more detail is needed, this should be provided with sub-status error codes and messages. Twilio® is a great example of best practice in this regard, going the extra mile with clear sub-status codes, messages, and links to more information.
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