gRPC 7 PERMISSION_DENIED vs 12 UNIMPLEMENTED
Both gRPC 7 (PERMISSION_DENIED) and 12 (UNIMPLEMENTED) belong to the gRPC Status Codes category. 7 indicates that the caller does not have permission to execute the specified operation. This is not for unauthenticated callers — use UNAUTHENTICATED instead. Meanwhile, 12 means that the operation is not implemented or is not supported/enabled in this service.
Description
The caller does not have permission to execute the specified operation. This is not for unauthenticated callers — use UNAUTHENTICATED instead.
When You See It
The authenticated user lacks the required role, scope, or policy to perform this action. Different from UNAUTHENTICATED (code 16), which means no credentials at all.
How to Fix
Verify the caller has the correct IAM role, API scope, or access policy. Check RBAC configuration on the server side.
Description
The operation is not implemented or is not supported/enabled in this service.
When You See It
The client called an RPC method that the server does not implement. This often happens when the client uses a newer proto definition than the server supports.
How to Fix
Verify the server version supports the method you're calling. Update the server to implement the missing method, or use an alternative endpoint.
Key Differences
gRPC 7: The caller does not have permission to execute the specified operation. This is not for unauthenticated callers — use UNAUTHENTICATED instead.
gRPC 12: The operation is not implemented or is not supported/enabled in this service.
You encounter 7 when the authenticated user lacks the required role, scope, or policy to perform this action. Different from UNAUTHENTICATED (code 16), which means no credentials at all.
You encounter 12 when the client called an RPC method that the server does not implement. This often happens when the client uses a newer proto definition than the server supports.
When to Use Which
For 7 (PERMISSION_DENIED): Verify the caller has the correct IAM role, API scope, or access policy. Check RBAC configuration on the server side. For 12 (UNIMPLEMENTED): Verify the server version supports the method you're calling. Update the server to implement the missing method, or use an alternative endpoint.