How to complete the challenge `POST /api/heartbeat as PATCH (500)`

How to complete the challenge `POST /api/heartbeat as PATCH (500)`

By Alan RichardsonPublished 2026-07-31

Send a normal POST request to /api/heartbeat, but add this header:

X-HTTP-Method-Override: PATCH

The server treats the request as a PATCH and returns the simulated 500 response.

Try it now

POST /api/heartbeat with PATCH override to trigger 500

Lessons Learned

X-HTTP-Method-Override: PATCH can reach server behavior that a client or proxy might otherwise block.
The 500 Internal Server Error result is deliberately about the effective PATCH /api/heartbeat.
Override handling is a good place to inspect logs or raw responses because the outer method is misleading.

Suggested Experiments

Send direct PATCH /api/heartbeat, then POST /api/heartbeat with the override, and compare status lines.
Use an invalid override value and observe whether the API rejects the header or ignores it.