gRPC 4 DEADLINE_EXCEEDED vs 5 NOT_FOUND
Both gRPC 4 (DEADLINE_EXCEEDED) and 5 (NOT_FOUND) belong to the gRPC Status Codes category. 4 indicates that the deadline expired before the operation could complete. For operations that change the state of the system, this error may be returned even if the operation has completed successfully. Meanwhile, 5 means that some requested entity was not found. For example, a file or directory that the RPC was supposed to operate on does not exist.
Description
The deadline expired before the operation could complete. For operations that change the state of the system, this error may be returned even if the operation has completed successfully.
When You See It
The RPC took longer than the configured deadline allows. Common in slow network conditions, overloaded servers, or when the deadline is set too aggressively.
How to Fix
Increase the client deadline, optimize the server-side processing, or add server-side caching. If the operation might have succeeded, check idempotency before retrying.
Description
Some requested entity was not found. For example, a file or directory that the RPC was supposed to operate on does not exist.
When You See It
The resource referenced in the request doesn't exist — such as looking up a user by ID that has been deleted or never created.
How to Fix
Verify the resource identifier is correct. Ensure the resource was created before accessing it, or handle the not-found case gracefully in your client.
Key Differences
gRPC 4: The deadline expired before the operation could complete. For operations that change the state of the system, this error may be returned even if the operation has completed successfully.
gRPC 5: Some requested entity was not found. For example, a file or directory that the RPC was supposed to operate on does not exist.
You encounter 4 when the RPC took longer than the configured deadline allows. Common in slow network conditions, overloaded servers, or when the deadline is set too aggressively.
You encounter 5 when the resource referenced in the request doesn't exist — such as looking up a user by ID that has been deleted or never created.
When to Use Which
For 4 (DEADLINE_EXCEEDED): Increase the client deadline, optimize the server-side processing, or add server-side caching. If the operation might have succeeded, check idempotency before retrying. For 5 (NOT_FOUND): Verify the resource identifier is correct. Ensure the resource was created before accessing it, or handle the not-found case gracefully in your client.