Random NXDOMAIN Errors When Accessing Canvas APIs

[test]

We're experiencing random NXDOMAIN errors when trying to access the Canvas APIs. These errors seem to occur randomly, and we're not sure what might be causing them.
Has anyone else encountered this issue? Is there something specific to Canvas that could cause this?

[chriscas]

Hi @test,

I make pretty extensive use of the Canvas API (have a script that runs thousands of calls daily), and I don't think I've ever encountered this issue.  NXDOMAIN generally means the domain name you're using (school.instructure.com, for example) cannot be found by your local computer for some reason.  Are you using an instructure.com domain, or a school/institution vanity domain (like canvas.school.edu)?  A couple other questions that could help narrow down the issue...  Does this issue occur on one specific computer or all computers?  Have you tried a using different internet connection (if that's possible) to see if you get similar results?

Let us know the answer to these questions if you can.  Hopefully someone in the community here can offer up some suggested solutions based on your answers.

-Chris

[test]

Hi @chriscas ,

Thanks for your response! I've experienced this issue with multiple Canvas URLs (all using the instructure.com domain) and across multiple computers. The issue occurs randomly and usually when I'm fetching assessment data for multiple courses in parallel, using the Canvas API.

It's not consistent, which makes it tricky to troubleshoot. I haven't been able to pinpoint if it's a network issue or something else, but I do notice it happening more often when making multiple API calls at once.
Any thoughts or suggestions on what could be causing this or how to avoid it?

Thanks again!

[sendres]

Hi @test,

Like @chriscas, I've used the Canvas API frequently (at least weekly) for 8+ years and have never encountered this error. I'd lean toward it being something in your local environment.