yhttperror

Better HTTP errors for your NodeJS server.

Usage

As a child constructor of the YError one, YHTTPError allow you to get more valuable errors for better debugging, even for production errors.

YHTTPError also allows you to specify an HTTP error code, with 500 as a fallback. Here is a sample use case near to how we use it at SimpliField:

import YHTTPError from 'yhttperror';

app.put('/users/:user_id', function(req, res, next) {
  // Let's start a Promise chain
  Promise.resolve()
  // This validate the payload an could throw errors
  .then(checkUserUpdatePayload.bind(null, req.body))
  // wrap any error into an HTTP 400 error with debug params
  .catch(function wrapUserPayloadError(err) {
    throw YHTTPError.wrap(err, 400, 'E_BAD_PAYLOAD', req.params.user_id, req.body);
  })
  // This check rights an return the result
  .then(checkUserRights.bind(null, req.user._id, 'USER_UPDATE'))
  // throw a YHTTPError if the user can't update an user
  .then(throwIfNotAuthorized(authorized) {
    if(!authorized) {
      throw new YHTTPError(401, 'E_UNAUTHORIZED', 'USER_UPDATE', authorized);
    }
  })
  // This update the user in the database
  .then(updateUser.bind(null, req.params.user_id, req.body))
  // wrap the error only if it is not yet a YHTTPError, in this case, db errors
  .catch(function castDatabaseError(err) {
    throw YHTTPError.cast(err, 500, 'E_DB_ERROR');
  })
  .then(sendUser.bind(null, res))
  .catch(function sendError(err) {
    // Sending the error, better done in an error middleware but keeping things
    // simple here. We're just passing the error to next like this in production
    // code: .catch(next);
    res.status(err.httpCode).send(err.stack);
  });
});

The above would give you valuable errors like this:

// Sample payload error:
// YError: E_INVALID_PROPERTY ('name', undefined)
//    at validateUser (/validateUser.js:5:11)
//    (...)
// YHTTPError [400]: E_BAD_PAYLOAD ('abbacacaabbacacaabbacaca', { email: 'a@a.com' })
//    at Function.YHTTPError.wrap (/home/nfroidure/simplifield/yhttperror/src/index.js:41:12)
//    at /home/nfroidure/simplifield/yhttperror/test.js:16:21
//    (...)

// Sample right error:
// YHTTPError [401]: E_UNAUTHORIZED ('b17eb17eb17eb17eb17eb17e', 'USER_UPDATE')
//    at Function.YHTTPError.wrap (/home/nfroidure/simplifield/yhttperror/src/index.js:41:12)
//    at /home/nfroidure/simplifield/yhttperror/test.js:16:21
//    (...)

// Sample db error:
// Error: Cannot connect to database
//    at dbConnect (/db.js:5:11)
//    (...)
// YHTTPError [500]: E_DB_ERROR ()
//    at Function.YHTTPError.wrap (/home/nfroidure/simplifield/yhttperror/src/index.js:41:12)
//    at /home/nfroidure/simplifield/yhttperror/test.js:16:21
//    (...)

API

YHTTPError ⇐ Error

Class representing an HTTP Error with extra debug informations

Kind: global class
Extends: Error, YError

• YHTTPError ⇐ Error
  • new YHTTPError(httpCode, [errorCode], [...params])
  • .wrap(err, httpCode, [errorCode], [...params]) ⇒ YHTTPError
  • .cast(err, httpCode, [errorCode], [...params]) ⇒ YHTTPError
  • .bump(err, httpCode, [errorCode], [...params]) ⇒ YHTTPError

new YHTTPError(httpCode, [errorCode], [...params])

Creates a new YHTTPError with an HTTP error code, an error code and some params as debug values.

YHTTPError.wrap(err, httpCode, [errorCode], [...params]) ⇒ YHTTPError

Wraps any error and output a YHTTPError with an HTTP error code, an error code and some params as debug values.

Kind: static method of YHTTPError
Returns: YHTTPError - The wrapped error

YHTTPError.cast(err, httpCode, [errorCode], [...params]) ⇒ YHTTPError

Return YHTTPError as is or wraps any other error and output a YHTTPError with an HTTP error code, an error code and some params as debug values.

Kind: static method of YHTTPError
Returns: YHTTPError - The wrapped error

YHTTPError.bump(err, httpCode, [errorCode], [...params]) ⇒ YHTTPError

Same than YHTTPError.wrap() but preserves the HTTP code, the error code and the debug values of the error if it is already an instance of the YHTTPError constructor.

Kind: static method of YHTTPError
Returns: YHTTPError - The wrapped error

Authors

• Nicolas Froidure (formerly at Simplifield)

License

MIT