module-error

Create errors with code and cause properties. Simple and extensible.

Usage

Works like a regular Error constructor but adds an options argument (as proposal-error-cause does).

const ModuleError = require('module-error')

throw new ModuleError('Message goes here', {
  code: 'EXAMPLE_NOT_FOUND'
})

The primary purpose of ModuleError is to define a code property on the error object following Node.js conventions. It should be set to an uppercase string that uniquely identifies a situation, prefixed with the name of your module (or a collection of modules) to prevent conflicts.

The output looks like this in Node.js (some stack frames omitted for brevity):

ModuleError: Message goes here
    at Object.<anonymous> (/home/app/example.js:5:7)
    at node:internal/main/run_main_module:17:47 {
  code: 'EXAMPLE_NOT_FOUND'
}

The benefit of error codes is that messages can be changed without a semver-major release because your semver contract will be on the codes. Codes can be reused across related modules while allowing individual modules to customize messages. I also prefer it over instanceof MyError logic because codes work cross-realm and when a tree of node_modules contains multiple versions of a module.

To wrap another error:

try {
  JSON.parse(await fs.readFile('state.json'))
} catch (err) {
  throw new ModuleError('Could not load state', {
    code: 'EXAMPLE_INVALID_STATE',
    cause: err
  })
}

If for convenience you want to create subclasses with prepared codes:

class NotFoundError extends ModuleError {
  constructor(message, options) {
    super(message, { ...options, code: 'EXAMPLE_NOT_FOUND' })
  }
}

Then you can do:

throw new NotFoundError('Message goes here')

Under Node.js the stack trace will be adjusted accordingly, to skip the frame containing your error constructor.

API

ModuleError(message, [options])

Constructor to create an error with the provided message string. Options:

• code (string): if provided, define a code property with this value.
• cause (Error): if provided, define a cause property with this value. Unlike the spec of proposal-error-cause the property is enumerable so that Node.js (v16 at the time of writing) will print it. Firefox prints it regardless, Chromium doesn't yet.
• expected: if truthy, define a expected property with value true. This is useful for command line interfaces to differentiate unexpected errors from e.g. invalid user input. A pattern I like to follow is to print only an error message if err.expected is true and no --verbose flag was provided. Otherwise print the full stack.
• transient: if truthy, define a transient property with value true. This communicates to users that the operation that caused the error may be retried. See also transient-error to mark existing errors as transient.

Install

With npm do:

npm install module-error

License

MIT