Exception Handling¶

This library uses a structured exception hierarchy to help you handle different types of errors that may occur when interacting with the Steam API. Each method's docstring specifies which exceptions it may raise.

Exception Hierarchy¶

All Steam-related errors inherit from the base SteamError class. This allows you to catch all Steam-specific errors with a single exception handler:

from aiosteampy import SteamClient, SteamError, AppContext

client = SteamClient(...)

try:
    await client.login()
    await client.get_inventory(AppContext.CS2)
except SteamError as e:
    print(f"A Steam error occurred: {e}")
    # Handle the error appropriately

Specific Exception Types¶

For more granular error handling, you can catch specific exception types:

EResultError¶

Raised when Steam responds with an error code in the success field of a JSON response. These errors correspond to Steam's internal error codes.

from aiosteampy import SteamClient, EResultError, App, EResult

client = SteamClient(...)

try:
    await client.place_buy_order("AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)", App.CS2, price=1000)
except EResultError as e:
    print(f"Steam returned an error: {e}")
    print(f"Error code: {e.result}")

    # Handle specific error codes
    if e.result is EResult.FAIL:  # EResult.Fail
        print("The operation failed")
    elif e.result is EResult.ACCESS_DENIED:  # EResult.AccessDenied
        print("Access denied - you may need to login again")
    elif e.result is EResult.INSUFFICIENT_FUNDS:  # EResult.InsufficientFunds
        print("You don't have enough funds for this purchase")

For a complete list of error codes and their meanings, visit steamerrors.com.

LoginError¶

Raised when there's an error during the login process. This could be due to incorrect credentials, Steam Guard issues, or other authentication problems.

from aiosteampy import SteamClient, LoginError

client = SteamClient(...)

try:
    await client.login()
except LoginError as e:
    print(f"Login failed: {e}")

SessionExpired¶

Raised when your session with Steam has expired. This is determined solely by Steam's response, not by any internal logic like checking the access_token.

from aiosteampy import SteamClient, AppContext, SessionExpired

client = SteamClient(...)
await client.login()

try:
    await client.get_inventory(AppContext.CS2)
except SessionExpired as e:
    print(f"Session expired: {e}")

    # Re-login and try again
    await client.login()
    inventory, total_count, last_asset_id = await client.get_inventory(AppContext.CS2)

RateLimitExceeded¶

Raised when you've been rate limited by Steam. This happens when you make too many requests in a short period of time.

Retry after

Steam does not provide information about how long you need to wait before making new requests - you'll need to implement your own backoff strategy

from aiosteampy import SteamClient,App, RateLimitExceeded
import asyncio

client = SteamClient(...)
await client.login()

try:
    # Making many requests in a loop might trigger rate limiting (got you banned almost instantly)
    for i in range(100):
        await client.get_item_listings("AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)", App.CS2)
except RateLimitExceeded as e:
    print(f"Rate limited: {e}")

    # Wait before trying again (duration is arbitrary since Steam doesn't specify it)
    print("Waiting 60 seconds before trying again...")
    await asyncio.sleep(60)

    # Try again with a slower rate (got you banned soon)
    for i in range(100):
        await client.get_item_listings("AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)", App.CS2)
        await asyncio.sleep(1)  # Add delay between requests

See Scraping Documentation for more information on handling rate limits.

ResourceNotModified¶

Raised when the requested data hasn't changed since the timestamp specified in the If-Modified-Since header. This is useful for caching, reducing unnecessary data transfer, and most importantly, reducing the risk of being banned by Steam.

from datetime import datetime, timedelta

from aiosteampy import SteamClient, ResourceNotModified

client = SteamClient(...)
await client.login()

# Get current time
now = datetime.now()

try:
    # Try to get data with If-Modified-Since header
    histogram, last_modified = await client.get_item_orders_histogram(
        12345678,  # item_name_id
        if_modified_since=now - timedelta(minutes=5)  # Data from 5 minutes ago
    )
    print("Data has been modified since the specified time")
except ResourceNotModified:
    print("Data has not been modified since the specified time")
    # Use cached data instead

See Scraping Documentation for more information on using the If-Modified-Since header.

Combining Exception Handlers¶

You can combine exception handlers to handle different types of errors in different ways:

from aiosteampy import SteamClient, App, AppContext, SteamError, LoginError, EResultError, SessionExpired, RateLimitExceeded

client = SteamClient(...)

try:
    await client.login()
    await client.get_inventory(AppContext.CS2)
    await client.place_buy_order("AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)", App.CS2, price=1000)
except LoginError as e:
    print(f"Login failed: {e}")
    # Handle login errors
except SessionExpired as e:
    print(f"Session expired: {e}")
    # Re-login and try again
except RateLimitExceeded as e:
    print(f"Rate limited: {e}")
    # Wait and try again with slower rate
except EResultError as e:
    print(f"Steam returned an error: {e}")
    # Handle specific error codes
except SteamError as e:
    print(f"Other Steam error: {e}")
    # Handle other Steam errors
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Non-Steam error: {e}")
    # Handle non-Steam errors

Remember to always check the method's docstring for information about which exceptions it may raise.