Error Handling and Logging
in API-based Applications
Presented by: Hazem yasser
Code: 1220007
Presented to: DR. BASSEM ELGENDY
ENG. ZEINAB MOAWAD
What Is Error Handling?
Detecting Problems Responding Safely
Catch bad input, network failures, unexpected Use try/catch blocks for retries, fallbacks, messages
responses
Standardized Codes User Feedback
Use clear HTTP codes like 4xx, 5xx Translate errors into simple messages
What Is Logging?
Record Events Log Contents Storage Options Benefits
Log successes, warnings, • Timestamp Local files or centralized Search, dashboards,
and errors • Request & User IDs services like ELK, Splunk alerts, audit trails
• Endpoint, message,
error stack
Why It Matters
Prevent Downtime Bug Fixing
Catch failures early Detailed logs speed diagnosis
User Experience Compliance
Graceful recovery and messages Audit trail for security
Why Use Them Together?
Complete End-to-End Real-Time Alerts Audit &
Visibility Tracing Logs feed monitoring Compliance
Handlers decide; Correlation IDs track tools Handlers enforce;
logs show outcomes requests logs record
Core Techniques
Input Validation
Reject bad data early
Structured Exceptions
Try/catch for graceful recovery
Error Objects & Codes
Consistent types and HTTP codes
Structured Logging
Machine-readable formats like JSON
Correlation IDs
Unique IDs for tracing
Common Use Cases
Web Frontends Financial Systems Microservices
Friendly error pages Retry with backoff on
Rollback failed transactions
failures
Real-World Examples
ECommerce Checkout Social Media Uploads Banking APIs
Retry payments, log failures, Queue posts, log errors, Transaction rollback, audit logs
alert support auto-retry
Disaster Case – Knight Capital
2012
Faulty Update
Outdated code active on one server
No Error Handling
Deployment checks missed faulty code
Massive Trades
Millions of unintended trades in 45 minutes
Huge Loss
$440M loss, 70% share price drop
Best Practices
Design for Errors
Define error paths early
Consistent Standards
Uniform codes, schemas, correlation IDs
Proactive Monitoring
Dashboards and real-time alerts
Automate Recovery
Retries, fallbacks, chaos testing
Continuous Improvement
Analyze logs, refine handlers, update alerts
