When the problem is between the keyboard and the chair
I spent an hour yesterday debugging why my API endpoint was returning 404 errors.
I checked the routes.
I verified the controller.
I tested the database connection.
I even restarted the server three times.
The endpoint was fine.
The code was fine.
The server was fine.
I was calling the wrong URL.
It happens. We all do it.
But there is something about those moments — when I realize the bug that I have been hunting does not exist — that makes me pause.
How much time do we spend solving problems that are not actually problems?
The Real Question
This was not about a typo in a URL.
It was about the process.
When something does not work, our first instinct is often to assume the code is wrong. We dive into logs, check configurations, and start questioning architecture decisions.
Sometimes, the code is wrong.
But sometimes, the code is fine.
Sometimes it is just:
- a typo
- a cached response
- the wrong environment, or
- a request hitting the wrong endpoint altogether
We all know the list.
The Checklist
Before diving deep into logs and architecture, run through the basics:
- [ ] Verify the URL/endpoint — Is it the right path? Any typos?
- [ ] Check the environment — Dev, staging, or production? Are you hitting the right one?
- [ ] Clear the cache — Browser cache, API cache, application cache
- [ ] Check the request — Method (GET vs POST), headers, body format
- [ ] Verify authentication — Are you logged in? Is the token valid?
- [ ] Check the console — Browser console, server logs, terminal output
- [ ] Restart the service — Sometimes it really is that simple
- [ ] Check the network — Is the service actually running? Can you reach it?
- [ ] Read the error message — What is it actually saying?
Most of these take seconds. They feel too obvious to matter. But starting here saves hours.
The Lesson
The best debugging skill is not knowing every framework or language.
It is knowing when to step back.
When to slow down.
When to check the simple things first.
When to ask, “What if I am looking in the wrong place?”
This is not an argument against thorough debugging.
It is a reminder to start with the basics — even when they feel too obvious to matter.
Because sometimes, that is exactly where the problem lives.
What is the most “obvious” bug that took you way too long to find? We have all been there.
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