Error Handling

Error Handling

This example demonstrates various error handling patterns in Fox, including simple errors, HTTP errors with status codes, and detailed error responses.

Features

• Simple error returns
• HTTP errors with status codes
• Custom error definitions
• Conditional error handling
• Error with additional details
• Panic recovery
• Consistent error responses

Complete Example

package main

import (
  "errors"
  "net/http"

  "github.com/fox-gonic/fox"
  "github.com/fox-gonic/fox/httperrors"
)

// Define custom errors
var (
  ErrUserNotFound = &httperrors.Error{
    HTTPCode: http.StatusNotFound,
    Code:     "USER_NOT_FOUND",
    Message:  "User not found",
  }

  ErrInsufficientBalance = &httperrors.Error{
    HTTPCode: http.StatusPaymentRequired,
    Code:     "INSUFFICIENT_BALANCE",
    Message:  "Insufficient account balance",
  }

  ErrDuplicateEmail = &httperrors.Error{
    HTTPCode: http.StatusConflict,
    Code:     "DUPLICATE_EMAIL",
    Message:  "Email already exists",
  }

  ErrInvalidCredentials = &httperrors.Error{
    HTTPCode: http.StatusUnauthorized,
    Code:     "INVALID_CREDENTIALS",
    Message:  "Invalid username or password",
  }
)

type User struct {
  ID      int     `json:"id"`
  Name    string  `json:"name"`
  Email   string  `json:"email"`
  Balance float64 `json:"balance"`
}

func main() {
  router := fox.New()

  // 1. Simple error
  router.GET("/error/simple", func() (string, error) {
    return "", errors.New("something went wrong")
  })

  // 2. HTTP error with status code
  router.GET("/error/http", func() (string, error) {
    return "", &httperrors.Error{
      HTTPCode: http.StatusBadRequest,
      Code:     "INVALID_REQUEST",
      Err:      errors.New("invalid request parameters"),
    }
  })

  // 3. Conditional error (user not found)
  router.GET("/user/:id", func(ctx *fox.Context) (*User, error) {
    id := ctx.Param("id")

    // Simulate database lookup
    if id != "1" {
      return nil, ErrUserNotFound
    }

    return &User{
      ID:      1,
      Name:    "Alice",
      Email:   "alice@example.com",
      Balance: 100.50,
    }, nil
  })

  // 4. Business logic error (insufficient balance)
  type TransferRequest struct {
    From   int     `json:"from" binding:"required"`
    To     int     `json:"to" binding:"required"`
    Amount float64 `json:"amount" binding:"required,gt=0"`
  }

  router.POST("/transfer", func(_ *fox.Context, req *TransferRequest) (map[string]any, error) {
    // Simulate checking balance
    currentBalance := 50.0

    if req.Amount > currentBalance {
      return nil, ErrInsufficientBalance
    }

    return map[string]any{
      "message": "Transfer successful",
      "from":    req.From,
      "to":      req.To,
      "amount":  req.Amount,
    }, nil
  })

  // 5. Authentication error
  type LoginRequest struct {
    Username string `json:"username" binding:"required"`
    Password string `json:"password" binding:"required"`
  }

  router.POST("/login", func(_ *fox.Context, req *LoginRequest) (map[string]any, error) {
    // Simulate credential check
    if req.Username != "admin" || req.Password != "password" {
      return nil, ErrInvalidCredentials
    }

    return map[string]any{
      "token": "jwt-token-here",
    }, nil
  })

  // 6. Conflict error (duplicate email)
  type SignupRequest struct {
    Email    string `json:"email" binding:"required,email"`
    Password string `json:"password" binding:"required,min=6"`
  }

  router.POST("/signup", func(_ *fox.Context, req *SignupRequest) (map[string]any, error) {
    // Simulate checking if email exists
    existingEmails := []string{"alice@example.com", "bob@example.com"}

    for _, email := range existingEmails {
      if email == req.Email {
        return nil, ErrDuplicateEmail
      }
    }

    return map[string]any{
      "message": "Account created successfully",
      "email":   req.Email,
    }, nil
  })

  // 7. Permission error
  router.DELETE("/user/:id", func(ctx *fox.Context) (string, error) {
    id := ctx.Param("id")

    // Simulate permission check
    if id == "1" {
      return "", &httperrors.Error{
        HTTPCode: http.StatusForbidden,
        Code:     "CANNOT_DELETE_ADMIN",
        Err:      errors.New("cannot delete admin user"),
      }
    }

    return "User deleted successfully", nil
  })

  // 8. Error with additional details
  router.GET("/detailed-error", func() (string, error) {
    return "", &httperrors.Error{
      HTTPCode: http.StatusUnprocessableEntity,
      Code:     "VALIDATION_FAILED",
      Message:  "Validation failed",
      Details: map[string]any{
        "fields": []map[string]string{
          {"field": "email", "error": "invalid format"},
          {"field": "age", "error": "must be at least 18"},
        },
      },
    }
  })

  // 9. Panic recovery (handled by default recovery middleware)
  router.GET("/panic", func() string {
    panic("something went terribly wrong")
  })

  if err := router.Run(":8080"); err != nil {
    panic(err)
  }
}

Running the Example

go run main.go

Testing

Simple Error

curl http://localhost:8080/error/simple

Response:

{
  "error": "something went wrong"
}

HTTP Error

curl http://localhost:8080/error/http

Response (400):

{
  "code": "INVALID_REQUEST",
  "error": "invalid request parameters"
}

User Not Found

curl http://localhost:8080/user/999

Response (404):

{
  "code": "USER_NOT_FOUND",
  "message": "User not found"
}

Insufficient Balance

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/transfer \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "from": 1,
    "to": 2,
    "amount": 100
  }'

Response (402):

{
  "code": "INSUFFICIENT_BALANCE",
  "message": "Insufficient account balance"
}

Invalid Credentials

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "username": "wrong",
    "password": "wrong"
  }'

Response (401):

{
  "code": "INVALID_CREDENTIALS",
  "message": "Invalid username or password"
}

Duplicate Email

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/signup \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "email": "alice@example.com",
    "password": "password123"
  }'

Response (409):

{
  "code": "DUPLICATE_EMAIL",
  "message": "Email already exists"
}

Detailed Error

curl http://localhost:8080/detailed-error

Response (422):

{
  "code": "VALIDATION_FAILED",
  "message": "Validation failed",
  "details": {
    "fields": [
      {"field": "email", "error": "invalid format"},
      {"field": "age", "error": "must be at least 18"}
    ]
  }
}

Panic Recovery

curl http://localhost:8080/panic

Response (500):

{
  "error": "Internal Server Error"
}

Error Types

1. Simple Error

Returns basic error message with 500 status:

return "", errors.New("something went wrong")

2. HTTP Error with Status Code

Returns error with custom status code:

return "", &httperrors.Error{
    HTTPCode: http.StatusBadRequest,
    Code:     "ERROR_CODE",
    Err:      errors.New("error message"),
}

3. HTTP Error with Additional Details

Returns error with extra information:

return "", &httperrors.Error{
    HTTPCode: http.StatusUnprocessableEntity,
    Code:     "VALIDATION_FAILED",
    Message:  "Validation failed",
    Details:  map[string]any{
        "fields": []string{"email", "password"},
    },
}

HTTP Status Codes

Common status codes for different error scenarios:

• 400 Bad Request - Invalid request parameters
• 401 Unauthorized - Authentication required or failed
• 403 Forbidden - Permission denied
• 404 Not Found - Resource not found
• 409 Conflict - Resource conflict (e.g., duplicate email)
• 422 Unprocessable Entity - Validation failed
• 429 Too Many Requests - Rate limit exceeded
• 500 Internal Server Error - Server error

Best Practices

1. Use Consistent Error Codes: Define error codes in UPPER_SNAKE_CASE
2. Provide User-Friendly Messages: Don’t expose internal implementation details
3. Use Appropriate Status Codes: Match HTTP semantics
4. Log Errors: Log errors with context for debugging
5. Avoid Sensitive Data: Never expose sensitive information in error messages
6. Handle Errors Early: Return errors as soon as they occur
7. Use Custom Error Types: Define reusable error types for common scenarios
8. Add Context: Wrap errors with additional context when needed

Next Steps

• Custom Validator - Custom validation with error handling
• Middleware - Error handling in middleware
• Error Handling Documentation - Learn more about error handling