How to Best Handle Errors in ASP.NET Web API: Throw Exceptions Immediately or Accumulate Them?

Error Handling Best Practices in ASP.NET Web API

In ASP.NET Web API, there are two common approaches for returning errors to clients: throwing HttpResponseExceptions immediately or accumulating errors and sending them back all at once.

Throwing HttpResponseExceptions

When an error occurs, throwing a HttpResponseException allows you to specify the error message and HTTP status code. The API will immediately stop processing and return the error response. This approach provides quick and clear error handling.

Example:

public void Post(Customer customer)
{
    if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(customer.Name))
    {
        throw new HttpResponseException("Customer Name cannot be empty", HttpStatusCode.BadRequest) 
    }
    if (customer.Accounts.Count == 0)
    {
         throw new HttpResponseException("Customer does not have any account", HttpStatusCode.BadRequest) 
    }
}

Pros:

• Quick and easy error handling
• Immediate error response for validation or input errors

Cons:

• Can lead to fragmented error responses when multiple errors occur
• Not suitable for non-fatal server errors

Accumulating Errors

This approach involves accumulating all errors into a list or container and sending them as a single response. It is helpful when multiple errors occur during a single operation, such as model validation or data validation.

Example:

public void Post(Customer customer)
{
    List<string> errors = new List<string>();
    if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(customer.Name))
    {
        errors.Add("Customer Name cannot be empty"); 
    }
    if (customer.Accounts.Count == 0)
    {
         errors.Add("Customer does not have any account"); 
    }
    var responseMessage = new HttpResponseMessage<List<string>>(errors, HttpStatusCode.BadRequest);
    throw new HttpResponseException(responseMessage);
}

Pros:

• Provides a consolidated error response for multiple errors
• Suitable for non-critical server errors

Cons:

• May lead to delayed error response
• Can result in large error responses for complex operations

Recommendation

The best practice depends on the specific scenario. For validation or input errors, throwing immediate HttpResponseExceptions provides a quick and clear response. However, for non-critical server errors, accumulating errors and returning them together may be a better option.

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