Error Handling Patterns
Build resilient applications with robust error handling strategies that gracefully handle failures and provide excellent debugging experiences.
When to Use This Skill
- Implementing error handling in new features
- Designing error-resilient APIs
- Debugging production issues
- Improving application reliability
- Creating better error messages for users and developers
- Implementing retry and circuit breaker patterns
- Handling async/concurrent errors
- Building fault-tolerant distributed systems
Core Concepts
1. Error Handling Philosophies
Exceptions vs Result Types:
- Exceptions: Traditional try-catch, disrupts control flow
- Result Types: Explicit success/failure, functional approach
- Error Codes: C-style, requires discipline
- Option/Maybe Types: For nullable values
When to Use Each:
- Exceptions: Unexpected errors, exceptional conditions
- Result Types: Expected errors, validation failures
- Panics/Crashes: Unrecoverable errors, programming bugs
2. Error Categories
Recoverable Errors: