Error during api import (Illegal base64 character 2d)

[dinesh-ax]

APIM-CLI version

1.14.11

API-Management version

7.7.20250530

Question

We are trying to import an API ( config file + json) but we get this error :
2026-02-25 09:48:17,943 [APIImportApp] ERROR: Cannot validate/fulfill configuration file.
com.axway.apim.lib.error.AppException: Cannot validate/fulfill configuration file.
at com.axway.apim.apiimport.APIImportConfigAdapter.getDesiredAPI(APIImportConfigAdapter.java:162)
at com.axway.apim.APIImportApp.importAPI(APIImportApp.java:100)
at com.axway.apim.APIImportApp.importAPI(APIImportApp.java:57)
at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.base/java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:566)
at com.axway.apim.cli.APIManagerCLI.run(APIManagerCLI.java:133)
at com.axway.apim.cli.APIManagerCLI.main(APIManagerCLI.java:72)
Caused by: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Illegal base64 character 2d
at java.base/java.util.Base64$Decoder.decode0(Base64.java:743)
at java.base/java.util.Base64$Decoder.decode(Base64.java:535)
at java.base/java.util.Base64$Decoder.decode(Base64.java:558)
at com.axway.apim.api.specification.APISpecificationFactory.getAPIDefinitionAsStream(APISpecificationFactory.java:105)
at com.axway.apim.api.specification.APISpecificationFactory.getAPIDefinitionContent(APISpecificationFactory.java:90)
at com.axway.apim.api.specification.APISpecificationFactory.getAPISpecification(APISpecificationFactory.java:34)
at com.axway.apim.apiimport.APIImportConfigAdapter.addAPISpecification(APIImportConfigAdapter.java:185)
at com.axway.apim.apiimport.APIImportConfigAdapter.getDesiredAPI(APIImportConfigAdapter.java:138)
... 8 more

To be able to import this api, i need to specify the absolute path for the resource to the API specification file so the APIM CLI can properly locate and read it.

Question:
I have another api ( config file + json) where i did not need to specify the absolute path.
Can you tell me why for one config file, i need to specify the absolute path and for another config file, it not needed?

In attachment:

• Sar-Client API (sar-client and api-config files) => OK
• data-sba-2 API (data-sba-2 and api-config(1)) => NOK (need absolute path)

api-config(1).json
data-sba-2.json
api-config.json
sar-client.json