java.io.IOException: Server returned HTTP response code: 500

I had this problem i.e. works fine when pasted into browser but 505s when done through java. It was simply the spaces that needed to be escaped/encoded.

HTTP status code 500 usually means that the webserver code has crashed. You need to determine the status code beforehand using HttpURLConnection#getResponseCode() and in case of errors, read the HttpURLConnection#getErrorStream() instead. It may namely contain information about the problem.

If the host has blocked you, you would rather have gotten a 4nn status code like 401 or 403.

See also:

• How to use URLConnection to fire and handle HTTP requests?

This Status Code 500 is an Internal Server Error. This code indicates that a part of the server (for example, a CGI program) has crashed or encountered a configuration error.

i think the problem does'nt lie on your side, but rather on the side of the Http server. the resources you used to access may have been moved or get corrupted, or its configuration just may have altered or spoiled