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Error Handling and Logging: How to Make Your Backend More Robust

Error Handling and Logging: How to Make Your Backend More Robust

Making your backend more robust requires effective error handling and logging strategies. Here are best processes to follow if you want to achieve that:

Error Handling: Managing Failures Gracefully

A well-designed error-handling system helps prevent crashes and improves debugging.

Types of Errors to Handle:

  • Syntax Errors – Caught at compile time
  • Runtime Errors (Exceptions) – Occur during execution (e.g., division by zero, null references)
  • Logical Errors – Incorrect output due to faulty logic
  • External Errors – Network failures, database connection issues

Best Practices for Error Handling:

1. Use Try-Catch Blocks

Surround risky code with try-catch to prevent crashes.
Example (Node.js/Express):

app.get('/data', async (req, res) => {
    try {
        let result = await fetchData();
        res.json(result);
    } catch (error) {
        res.status(500).json({ message: "Server error", error: error.message });
    }
});

2. Use Custom Error Classes

Define custom error classes for better control.
Example (Python/Django):

class CustomError(Exception):
    def __init__(self, message):
        self.message = message
        super().__init__(self.message)

3. Avoid Exposing Sensitive Errors

Never return raw error messages to users—log them instead.
Bad:

{"error": "database connection timeout at /app/db.py:45"}

Good:

{"error": "Internal Server Error"}

4. Implement Global Error Handling

For Express:

app.use((err, req, res, next) => {
    console.error(err.stack);
    res.status(500).json({ message: "Something went wrong!" });
});

For Django:

from django.http import JsonResponse

def error_500(request):
    return JsonResponse({'error': 'Internal Server Error'}, status=500)

 

Logging: Tracking Errors Efficiently

Logs help debug issues and monitor performance.

Best Practices for Logging:

1. Use a Logging Library

Example (Python):

import logging

logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO, filename='app.log', format='%(asctime)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s')

try:
    result = 10 / 0
except Exception as e:
    logging.error("An error occurred: %s", str(e))

2. Log Different Levels of Information

Use appropriate log levels:

  • DEBUG – Detailed info for debugging
  • INFO – General application events
  • WARNING – Unexpected situations
  • ERROR – Serious issues
  • CRITICAL – System failure

Example (Node.js + Winston):

const winston = require('winston');

const logger = winston.createLogger({
    level: 'info',
    format: winston.format.json(),
    transports: [new winston.transports.File({ filename: 'error.log', level: 'error' })]
});

logger.error("Database connection failed!");

3. Store Logs in a Centralized System

Use log aggregators like:

  • ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana)
  • Graylog
  • Datadog
  • Papertrail

4. Monitor Logs and Set Alerts

Use services like Prometheus + Grafana, Sentry, or New Relic to track errors in real time.

 

Enhancing Backend Resilience

Beyond error handling and logging, improve backend robustness with:

  • Retry Mechanisms – Retry failed requests (e.g., exponential backoff)
  • Graceful Shutdowns – Release resources before exiting
  • Health Checks – Monitor service status (e.g., /health endpoint)
  • Rate Limiting – Prevent API abuse (e.g., Redis-based throttling)
  • Circuit Breakers – Stop repeated failures (e.g., Netflix Hystrix)

 

 

 

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