OpenAI API error
OpenAI API 503 service_unavailable_error server_is_overloaded: what it means and how to fix it
503 service_unavailable_error server_is_overloadedRetry? YesLast verified 2 documented fixes2 sources
What it means
The requested model does not have enough capacity to process your request at the moment. Python raises InternalServerError for 503 responses.
Causes
- The requested model is temporarily overloaded
- Video overload now returns 503 where it previously returned 429
How to fix it
- Fix 1.
Follow the Retry-After header when present, then retry; if it is missing, increase the delay between retries.
- Fix 2.
If the error continues, check the status page for an active incident.
More OpenAI API errors
All 23 OpenAI API errors400 invalid_request_error (Invalid service_tier argument)Retry? Not stated401 Invalid AuthenticationRetry? Not stated401 Incorrect API key providedRetry? Not stated401 You must be a member of an organization to use the APIRetry? Not stated401 IP not authorizedRetry? Not stated403 Country, region, or territory not supportedRetry? Not stated429 credit_balance_exhaustedRetry? No429 Rate limit reached for requestsRetry? Yes
HTTP 503 at other providers
Compare 503 across providers503 ServiceUnavailableExceptionRetry? YesAmazon Bedrock503 Server ErrorRetry? YesAzure OpenAI503 - Server OverloadedRetry? YesDeepSeek API503 service_unavailableRetry? YesGemini API503 UNAVAILABLERetry? YesGemini API503 Service UnavailableRetry? YesGroq API503 Service unavailableRetry? YesMistral API503 No available model provider meets your routing requirementsRetry? YesOpenRouter503 provider_overloadedRetry? YesOpenRouter503 UNAVAILABLERetry? YesVertex AI
FAQ
What does the OpenAI API error "503 service_unavailable_error server_is_overloaded" mean?
The requested model does not have enough capacity to process your request at the moment. Python raises InternalServerError for 503 responses.
How do I fix OpenAI API "503 service_unavailable_error server_is_overloaded"?
There are 2 documented fixes. Start with the first: Follow the Retry-After header when present, then retry; if it is missing, increase the delay between retries.
Should I retry OpenAI API "503 service_unavailable_error server_is_overloaded"?
Yes. The official docs treat this error as retryable.
Which other AI APIs return HTTP 503?
Per their official error docs: Amazon Bedrock (503 ServiceUnavailableException), Azure OpenAI (503 Server Error), DeepSeek API (503 - Server Overloaded), Gemini API (503 service_unavailable; 503 UNAVAILABLE), Groq API (503 Service Unavailable), Mistral API (503 Service unavailable), OpenRouter (503 No available model provider meets your routing requirements; 503 provider_overloaded), Vertex AI (503 UNAVAILABLE).
Sources
Last verified against 2 sources: OpenAI API's official docs and official SDK repositories.
- developers.openai.comhttps://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/error-codes
- developers.openai.comhttps://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/rate-limits
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