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docs / bad-responses / server-error

ServerError

The ServerError class represents an HTTP error response with status code 500. It is used to standardize "Internal Server Error" responses, typically when an unexpected error occurs on the server side.

Import

ts

import { ServerError } from "@arkyn/server/serverError";
Learn how subpath and root imports differ in How do I use imports.

Constructor

  • message (required): A descriptive message explaining the server error cause.
  • cause (optional): Additional information about the error cause, which can be any serializable data.

Methods

toResponse() - Converts the instance into a Response object with JSON body and Content-Type: application/json header.
toJson() - Alternative method using Response.json() for generating the JSON error response.

Usage example

typescript

import { ServerError } from "@arkyn/server/serverError";


// Basic usage - throw the error
throw new ServerError("An unexpected error occurred");


// With cause information
throw new ServerError("Database operation failed", {
    operation: "insert",
    table: "users",
    originalError: "Connection lost",
});


// Convert to Response object
const error = new ServerError("Failed to process request");
return error.toResponse();


// Using toJson alternative
return error.toJson();

Response structure

The response body follows a standardized structure:

json

{
    "name": "ServerError",
    "message": "An unexpected error occurred"
}
This is sent with HTTP status 500, set on the Response object itself, the status code is not part of the JSON body.
If a cause is passed to the constructor, it is included in the body as well:

json

{
    "name": "ServerError",
    "message": "Database operation failed",
    "cause": "{\"operation\":\"insert\",\"table\":\"users\",\"originalError\":\"Connection lost\"}"
}

Notes

When thrown, this class automatically emits a debug log to the console showing the file and function where the error originated. See DebugService to configure ignored files for accurate caller detection.
The cause parameter, when provided, is serialized with JSON.stringify() and included in the response body under the cause key, it is sent to clients, not just kept for server-side debugging. Because it's stringified, cause appears in the JSON body as a JSON-encoded string rather than a nested object.
Common use cases include unhandled exceptions, database failures, external service errors, and unexpected runtime errors.
Related in Bad responses
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