HubSpot Data Migration Troubleshooting: Resolving RATE_LIMIT_REACHED and API Sync Crashes
Fix HubSpot data migration failures, configuration errors, and API crashes. Learn how to diagnose rate limits, resolve sync stalls, and optimize pipelines.
- HubSpot API rate limits (HTTP 429) and ten-second rolling window breaches are the primary cause of integration crashes during bulk data migration.
- Incorrect custom property mapping in your HubSpot configuration leads to silent data dropping or explicit HTTP 400 validation errors.
- Implementing exponential backoff, utilizing the Batch API, and sanitizing enumeration payloads are the most effective quick fixes for a stalled migration.
| Method | When to Use | Time to Implement | Failure Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Object CRM API | Real-time, one-off syncs or triggered updates | Low | High (Rate limits) |
| Batch Object CRM API | Migrating datasets < 100k records, requiring strict response mapping | Medium | Medium |
| CRM Imports API | Massive enterprise migrations (>100k records) and complex associations | High | Low |
| Third-Party ETL (Airbyte/Fivetran) | Ongoing bi-directional data warehousing and syncs | Low | Low |
Understanding HubSpot Data Migration Failures
When executing a large-scale HubSpot data migration, enterprise teams frequently encounter scenarios where the migration script stalls, or the HubSpot integration appears to stop working entirely. While the platform's core infrastructure is highly resilient, the integration layer is heavily governed by strict rate limits, payload validation rules, and configuration constraints. Users often report a 'hubspot crash', but in reality, the migration pipeline has simply failed to handle API constraints gracefully.
Common Error Signatures
During an enterprise migration, you are likely to encounter these critical error signatures:
- HTTP 429 Too Many Requests:
{"status":"error","message":"You have reached your ten_secondly_rolling limit. This limit is 150 requests per 10 seconds.","correlationId":"a1b2c3d4"} - HTTP 400 Bad Request (Validation):
{"status":"error","message":"Property values were not valid: [\"Property 'custom_internal_field' does not exist\"]"} - HTTP 502/504 Gateway Errors: Occurs during massive batch operations where the HubSpot processing engine times out before responding to your client.
Step 1: Diagnosing HubSpot Configuration Issues
Before executing the migration code, ensure your HubSpot configuration is identical between your source data mapping and the target production environment. A common reason for 'hubspot not working' during data loads is mismatched internal property names.
Always extract the property schema first using the Properties API (GET /crm/v3/properties/{objectType}). Look specifically for readOnlyValue attributes. Attempting to write data to system-managed properties (like createdate, hs_analytics_source, or calculated score properties) will result in a hard rejection of the entire payload.
Step 2: Resolving API Crashes with Exponential Backoff
Enterprise migrations should never use fire-and-forget API calls. When you hit a rate limit, HubSpot returns a Retry-After header or a specific error message. Your migration pipeline must pause and retry.
If you are using a custom ETL script, implement an exponential backoff algorithm. If a request fails with an HTTP 429, wait 1 second, then 2 seconds, then 4 seconds, up to a maximum threshold. This prevents your IP/Token from being temporarily blocked and ensures you do not drop critical CRM records.
Step 3: Transitioning to the Batch and Imports APIs
If you are migrating hundreds of thousands of records, standard single-record CRM endpoints will take days and are prone to network interruptions.
Instead of POST /crm/v3/objects/contacts, switch to POST /crm/v3/objects/contacts/batch/create. The batch endpoint allows you to send up to 100 records per HTTP request, drastically reducing the number of API calls and mitigating rate limit risks.
For datasets larger than 10,000 records, the CRM Imports API is the most robust solution. You upload a CSV file directly to HubSpot, and their asynchronous processing engine handles the creation and association of records, entirely bypassing standard synchronous API rate limits.
Step 4: Validating and Cleansing Data Pre-Flight
A 'hubspot configuration' error often masks dirty data. HubSpot enforces strict validation on:
- Email addresses: Must conform to RFC 5322.
- Enumeration properties (dropdowns/radio buttons): Sending a string value not defined in the property settings will fail the entire batch. Check the
optionsarray in the property schema. - Date properties: Must be UNIX timestamps in milliseconds, standardized to midnight UTC. Sending standard ISO-8601 strings to a Date (not DateTime) property will trigger an error.
Implement a pre-flight validation layer in your pipeline that cross-references your source data against the extracted HubSpot property schema.
Frequently Asked Questions
#!/bin/bash
# HubSpot Batch Migration & Recovery Script
# Handles API rate limits (HTTP 429) using exponential backoff to prevent hubspot crash scenarios
HUBSPOT_TOKEN="your_private_app_token_here"
API_URL="https://api.hubapi.com/crm/v3/objects/contacts/batch/create"
PAYLOAD_FILE="batch_payload.json"
MAX_RETRIES=5
perform_migration() {
local attempt=1
local wait_time=2
while [ $attempt -le $MAX_RETRIES ]; do
echo "[INFO] Attempt $attempt to sync batch data to HubSpot..."
HTTP_RESPONSE=$(curl -s -w "%{http_code}" -X POST "$API_URL" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $HUBSPOT_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d @"$PAYLOAD_FILE" -o response_body.json)
if [ "$HTTP_RESPONSE" -eq 201 ] || [ "$HTTP_RESPONSE" -eq 200 ]; then
echo "[SUCCESS] Migration batch successful!"
cat response_body.json | jq .
return 0
elif [ "$HTTP_RESPONSE" -eq 429 ]; then
echo "[WARNING] Rate limit reached (HTTP 429). Backing off for $wait_time seconds..."
sleep $wait_time
wait_time=$((wait_time * 2))
attempt=$((attempt + 1))
elif [ "$HTTP_RESPONSE" -eq 400 ]; then
echo "[ERROR] Configuration or validation error (HTTP 400). Check property mapping."
cat response_body.json | jq .
return 1
else
echo "[CRITICAL] Unexpected error: HTTP $HTTP_RESPONSE. Integration may be failing."
cat response_body.json | jq .
return 1
fi
done
echo "[FATAL] Max retries reached. Migration pipeline halted."
return 1
}
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