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JavaScript REST APIs with Express Create, Read, Update, Delete HTTP Status Codes

Posted by Zimri Leijen
Zimri Leijen
11,835 Points

Error handling for invalid JSON submitted

When I POST invalid JSON I don't get the usual error messages, neither 400 nor 500, how do you catch invalid JSON, and why doesn't the try...catch block catch this?

It does get a status message of 400 so it seems some of the middleware throws another error.

3 Answers

Simon Coates
Simon Coates
8,377 Points
Simon Coates
Simon Coates
8,377 Points

In the event this is useful in the future, a 400 might be enough for whatever is consuming the API. I'm no expert, but adding global error handler middleware could catch the error (and any others). It might also be possible to write your own json parser middleware if you needed to respond specifically to malformed json.

James Crosslin
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.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
James Crosslin
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Graduate 16,882 Points
James Crosslin
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
James Crosslin
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Graduate 16,882 Points

I liked this question, so I coded out a possible way to handle some of these errors along with more description to the client!

const { response } = require("express")
const express = require("express")
const records = require("./records")
const app = express()

app.use(express.json())

//CRUD - Create Read Update Delete
//Send a Get request to /quotes to Read a list of quotes\
app.get("/quotes", async (req, res, next) => {
  try {
    const quotes = await records.getQuotes()
    res.json(quotes)
  } catch (err) {
    err.status = 400
    return next(err)
  }
})

//Send a Get request to /quotes/:id toRead a quote
app.get("/quotes/:id", async (req, res, next) => {
  try {
    const quote = await records.getQuote(+req.params.id)
    if (!quote) throw new Error("Quote not found")
    res.json(quote)
  } catch (err) {
    err.status = 404
    return next(err)
  }
})
//Send a Post request to /quotes to Create a quote
app.post("/quotes", async (req, res, next) => {
  try {
    const { author, quote } = req.body
    if (author && quote) {
      const newQuote = await records.createQuote({ quote, author })
      res.status(201).json(newQuote)
    } else {
      const missing = author ? "Quote" : "Author"
      throw new Error(
        `${missing} not included: must include both an author and and a quote`
      )
    }
  } catch (err) {
    err.status = 400
    return next(err)
  }
})

//Send a Put request to /quotes/:id to Update a quote
//Send a Delete request to /quotes/:id to Delete a quote
//Send a Get request to /quotes/random to Read a random quote

app.use((req, res, next) => {
  const err = new Error("Not Found")
  err.status = 404
  next(err)
})

app.use((err, req, res, next) => {
  res.status(err.status || 500).json({ message: err.message })
})

let port = process.env.PORT ?? 3000

app.listen(port, () => console.log(`Quote API listening on port ${port}!`))