Lesson Notes

• Types of Errors:

  • Client-Side Errors: Bad requests due to invalid input or missing parameters.
  • Server-Side Errors: Problems with the server, such as timeout or database connection failure.
  • Third-Party Errors: Issues caused by Mpesa’s API or connectivity problems.

• Graceful Error Handling:

  • Always return user-friendly error messages that avoid exposing sensitive information.
  • Implement standardized error responses with relevant HTTP status codes (e.g., 400 for bad requests, 500 for server errors).
  • Ensure that internal errors are logged for debugging while providing generic messages to users.

• Error Handling Best Practices:

  • Use try-catch blocks (in your programming language of choice) to handle exceptions.
  • Implement retry mechanisms for transient errors like network timeouts.
  • Provide meaningful feedback to users when transactions fail and guide them on next steps (e.g., “Please try again” or “Contact support”).

• Logging and Monitoring:

  • Set up centralized logging (e.g., with services like Sentry, Loggly, or AWS CloudWatch) to track errors and exceptions in real-time.
  • Implement automatic alerts for critical errors that require immediate attention.