Error Handling Design

Purpose

Design a comprehensive error handling strategy including error taxonomy, user-facing messages, and recovery patterns.

When to Use

• System design phase

• Error experience improvement

• Consistency standardization

Process

Step 1: Create Error Taxonomy

Step 2: Design Error Response Format

Step 3: Define User-Facing Messages

Step 4: Plan Recovery Strategies

Step 5: Document Error Handling

StudyAbroad-Specific Considerations

• Validation errors with field details

• Deadline passed errors

• External API errors (graceful degradation)

• Document upload errors

Examples

Error Taxonomy:

VAL_* - Validation errors (400) VAL_INVALID_INPUT - General validation failure VAL_MISSING_FIELD - Required field missing VAL_INVALID_FORMAT - Wrong format

AUTH_* - Authentication errors (401) AUTH_UNAUTHORIZED - Not authenticated AUTH_TOKEN_EXPIRED - Token expired

BIZ_* - Business logic errors (400) BIZ_DEADLINE_PASSED - Application deadline passed BIZ_ALREADY_SUBMITTED - Already submitted BIZ_INCOMPLETE - Application incomplete

NF_* - Not found errors (404) NF_RESOURCE - Resource not found

EXT_* - External service errors (502/503) EXT_SERVICE_ERROR - External service unavailable