apache/flink · error · java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

Invalid 'contentEncoding' property in node: {}

Error message

Invalid 'contentEncoding' property in node: {}

What it means

Error "Invalid 'contentEncoding' property in node: {}" thrown in apache/flink.

Source

Thrown at flink-formats/flink-json/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/formats/json/JsonRowSchemaConverter.java:331

            throw new IllegalArgumentException(
                    "Invalid '" + FORMAT + "' property in node: " + location);
        }

        switch (node.asText()) {
            case FORMAT_DATE:
                return Types.SQL_DATE;
            case FORMAT_TIME:
                return Types.SQL_TIME;
            case FORMAT_DATE_TIME:
                return Types.SQL_TIMESTAMP;
            default:
                return Types.STRING; // unlikely that we will support other formats in the future
        }
    }

    private static TypeInformation<?> convertStringEncoding(String location, JsonNode node) {
        if (!node.isTextual()) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException(
                    "Invalid '" + CONTENT_ENCODING + "' property in node: " + location);
        }

        // "If the instance value is a string, this property defines that the string SHOULD
        // be interpreted as binary data and decoded using the encoding named by this property."

        switch (node.asText()) {
            case CONTENT_ENCODING_BASE64:
                return Types.PRIMITIVE_ARRAY(Types.BYTE);
            default:
                // we fail hard here:
                // this gives us the chance to support more encodings in the future without problems
                // of backwards compatibility
                throw new IllegalArgumentException(
                        "Invalid encoding '" + node.asText() + "' in node: " + location);
        }
    }

View on GitHub (pinned to 2f3c205e92)

Solutions

1. Address the cause reported by the error message: Invalid 'contentEncoding' property in node: the reported value
2. Verify the inputs, configuration values, and classpath/dependency setup related to this operation, then retry.

Example fix

Correct the condition described ("Invalid 'contentEncoding' property in node: the reported value") and rerun the job or command.

When it happens

Trigger: Triggered at runtime when the operation fails because: Invalid 'contentEncoding' property in node: the reported value.

Common situations: Commonly caused by misconfiguration, missing dependencies or files, unsupported types or operations, or invalid user input leading to: Invalid 'contentEncoding' property in node: the reported value.

AI-assisted analysis of apache/flink@2f3c205e92 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/5eb1109586dc587d. Report an issue: GitHub.