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Node.js — Create Your Own Custom Error

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Handling errors plays a major role in your application. In error situations, you want to know the details of the issue and how to solve it. When developing your app, you can create your own errors.

Errors in Node.js are extensible classes. This tutorial walks you through the creation of your own error class.

Node.js Series Overview

  1. String Replace All Appearances
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  3. Generate a Random ID or String in Node.js or JavaScript
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  6. Get the Part Before a Character in a String in JavaScript or Node.js
  7. Get the Part After a Character in a String in JavaScript or Node.js
  8. How to Check if a Value is a String in JavaScript or Node.js
  9. Check If a String Includes All Strings in JavaScript/Node.js/TypeScript
  10. Check if a Value is a String in JavaScript and Node.js
  11. Limit and Truncate a String to a Given Length in JavaScript and Node.js
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  13. How to Generage a UUID in Node.js
  14. Reverse a String in JavaScript or Node.js
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  17. Detect if a String is in camelCase Format in Javascript or Node.js
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  20. Get the Part After First Occurrence in a String in JavaScript or Node.js
  21. Get the Part Before First Occurrence in a String in JavaScript or Node.js
  22. Get the Part Before Last Occurrence in a String in JavaScript or Node.js
  23. Get the Part After Last Occurrence in a String in JavaScript or Node.js
  24. How to Count Words in a File
  25. How to Shuffle the Characters of a String in JavaScript or Node.js
  26. Append Characters or Words to a String in JavaScript or Node.js
  27. Check if a String is Empty in JavaScript or Node.js
  28. Ensure a String Ends with a Given Character in JavaScript or Node.js
  29. Left-Trim Characters Off a String in JavaScript or Node.js
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  31. Lowercase the First Character of a String in JavaScript or Node.js
  32. Uppercase the First Character of a String in JavaScript or Node.js
  33. Prepend Characters or Words to a String in JavaScript or Node.js
  34. Check if a String is a Number
  35. Convert a String to Buffer
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  11. How to Exit and Stop a for Loop in JavaScript and Node.js
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  13. How to Get an Index in a for…of Loop in JavaScript and Node.js
  14. How to Exit, Stop, or Break an Array#forEach Loop in JavaScript or Node.js
  15. Retrieve a Random Item From an Array in JavaScript or Node.js
  16. How to Reverse an Array in JavaScript and Node.js
  17. Sort an Array of Strings in JavaScript, TypeScript or Node.js
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  19. Check If a Value Is an Array in JavaScript or Node.js
  20. Join an Array of Strings to a Single String Value
  21. Create and Fill an Array Containing N Items
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  7. Overview of Promise-Based APIs in Node.js
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  1. How to Merge Objects
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  3. How to CamelCase Keys of an Object in JavaScript or Node.js
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  1. Get a File’s Created Date
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  3. How to Create an Empty File
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  5. How to Rename a File
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  12. How to Create a Directory (and Parents If Needed)
  13. Get a File‘s Extension
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  15. Get a File Name (With or Without Extension)
  16. Read a JSON File
  17. Delete a File From Disk
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  5. Constant for Platform-Specific Newline
  1. How to Download a File
  1. Calculate an MD5 Hash
  2. Retrieve the List of Supported Hash Algorithms
  3. Calculate a SHA256 Hash

Create an Error Class

Node.js comes with an Error class. This error class gives you the core functionality of errors, like capturing a stack trace and assigning context data.

You can extend Node’s error class to create your own errors. Here’s an example of a NotEnoughCoffee error:

not-enough-coffee-error.js

class NotEnoughCoffee extends Error {  
  constructor (message) {
    super(message)

    // assign the error class name in your custom error (as a shortcut)
    this.name = this.constructor.name

    // capturing the stack trace keeps the reference to your error class
    Error.captureStackTrace(this, this.constructor);

    // you may also assign additional properties to your error
    this.isSleepy = true
  }
}

module.exports = NotEnoughCoffee

The custom error extends the default Node.js error class. Setting the this.name property to the constructor’s name will reference NotEnoughCoffee in stack traces instead of the generic Error name.

Go ahead and add other class properties when needed. You can even add methods that are more helpful. Here’s an example: 

class CoffeeNotFound extends Error {  
  constructor (message) {
    super(message)
    Error.captureStackTrace(this, this.constructor);

    this.name = this.constructor.name
    this.status = 404
  }

  statusCode() {
    return this.status
  }
}

module.exports = CoffeeNotFound

This CoffeeNotFound error could be an HTTP error. You may intercept the response and map the error’s status to the HTTP response status.

Throwing Errors

Import the custom error in your app and use it when necessary. Here’s a simple example that just throws the NotEnoughCoffee error:

'use strict'

const NotEnoughCoffee = require('./error')

throw new NotEnoughCoffee('Well, you may need another coffee :)')

The related error output on your terminal looks like this:

Stack trace when throwing the NotEnoughCoffee error

Custom errors are a good way to help your coworkers and other developers to know what’s wrong with the app configuration.

Enjoy coding & make it rock!

Marcus Pöhls

Marcus is a fullstack JS developer. He’s passionate about the hapi framework for Node.js and loves to build web apps and APIs. Creator of Futureflix and the “learn hapi” learning path.

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