Confusing 404 for OPTIONAL files

[tdelmas]

What is the issue and why is it an issue?

In the File Distribution section, the specification allow to return 404 for OPTIONAL files. Even if they are declared in the gbfs.json file (?).

This was reasonable when the gbfs.json file was itself optional.
Now that this file is mandatory, there is no reason to allow that behaviour: if a file doesn't exist, it shouldn't be declared. If a file exist, then it should be declared.

Please describe some potential solutions you have considered (even if they aren’t related to GBFS).

Clarify that, for OPTIONAL files:

• If they exists, they MUST be declared in the gbfs.json file and MUST NOT 404
• If they don't exists, they MUST NOT be declared in the gbfs.json file (no need to say they 404, as non URL is declared to fetch them, and consumers shoudn't guess them)

Is your potential solution a breaking change?

• Yes
• No
• Unsure

Yes but only for provider declaring inexisting files in gbfs.json

[mplsmitch]

I think we should stop making a distinction between OPTIONAL and REQUIRED files:

 - All published files MUST be declared in gbfs.json
 - Any file declared in gbfs.json MUST NOT 404 

I'm trying to come up with a solution to a related problem where publishers are including files when they shouldn't. These are dockless operators that have no stations but they're publishing station_informationand station_status with empty arrays or junk data because apparently they think they are required to. Here are some examples:

https://mds.bird.co/gbfs/v2/public/munich/gbfs.json
https://data.lime.bike/api/partners/v2/gbfs/antwerp/gbfs.json
https://yoio.rideatom.com/gbfs/71/v3.0/gbfs

I've also seen public policy documents that say this is a requirement, for example this is from Washington DC:

(b) There are no “stations” in the parlance of GBFS, therefore both station_status.json and station_information.json should return an empty list;

None of this a caught by the validator because technically these are valid JSON but the data is garbage.

[tdelmas]

I think we should stop making a distinction between OPTIONAL and REQUIRED files:

• All published files MUST be declared in gbfs.json
• Any file declared in gbfs.json MUST NOT 404

I agree.

I'm trying to come up with a solution to a related problem where publishers are including files when they shouldn't

I don't see how the specification could do anything, when they already aren't respecting it (showing "stations" that doesn't exist).

Also, I don't think returning an empty station list (vs not declaring the file) is a problem : as the station_information.json can (should) be cached longer, there is minimal overhead (and no need to download station_status.json because we already know it's useless)

But maybe the specification could emphasize the fact that if they return station, well, those station must exist...

[mobilitydataio]

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[mobilitydataio]

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