# Crossref search: internal server error persisting

**URL:** <https://community.crossref.org/t/crossref-search-internal-server-error-persisting/2904>\
**Category:** Technical Support\
**Tags:** rest-api, metadata-retrieval, metadata-search, crmds\
**Created:** [25 August 2022 01:36 UTC](https://community.crossref.org/t/crossref-search-internal-server-error-persisting/2904 "2022-08-25T01:36:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MissEmilieLib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@MissEmilieLib](https://community.crossref.org/u/MissEmilieLib)\
**Post date:** [25 August 2022 01:36 UTC](https://community.crossref.org/t/crossref-search-internal-server-error-persisting/2904/1 "2022-08-25T01:36:33Z")

</div>

Hi team. The ‘internal server error’, relating as I understand it to some instability with your database, is still periodically occurring (I have noticed it today again) and preventing access to Crossref (metadata) Search results.  
Can you please add a status update for this problem?  
Thanks  
Em Johnson  
Swinburne University (repository/research publications admin), Australia

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![eatoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@eatoni](https://community.crossref.org/u/eatoni)\
**Post date:** [25 August 2022 08:44 UTC](https://community.crossref.org/t/crossref-search-internal-server-error-persisting/2904/2 "2022-08-25T08:44:48Z")

</div>

Hi Johnson,

Thank you for the message.

We have this incident report open, and is available here: [Crossref Status - API being hit by bots, bringing down Search too](https://status.crossref.org/incidents/8xw8xy6m95qd)

This incidence has been brought about by various bots hitting our API. Hence, affecting the Metadata Search and Content Negotiation.

In the meantime, if you’re an API user, please try the ‘polite’ pool i.e. include email identification in header requests.

Best,  
Evans