errx-java

Structured error handling for Java. One exception type, typed categories, i18n-ready messages, validation fields, and a zero-config Spring Boot integration.

Features

• Single ErrxException class with a fluent builder
• Machine-readable code that doubles as an i18n message key
• Typed error categories mapped to HTTP status codes
• Validation field errors (Map<String, String>)
• Private debugging details (never exposed to clients)
• Spring Boot auto-configuration with MessageSource / Accept-Language support
• Bean Validation support (@Valid, @Validated)

Modules

Module	Description	Dependencies
errx-core	Core library	JDK 17 only (zero dependencies)
errx-spring	Spring Boot integration	Spring Boot 3.x

Quick Start

Gradle (Kotlin DSL)

// Core only
implementation("io.github.stackflowdev:errx-core:0.1.0")

// With Spring Boot integration (includes core)
implementation("io.github.stackflowdev:errx-spring:0.1.0")

Maven

<dependency>
    <groupId>io.github.stackflowdev</groupId>
    <artifactId>errx-core</artifactId>
    <version>0.1.0</version>
</dependency>

Usage

Create an exception

throw ErrxException.create()
        .code("user.not_found")
        .type(ErrorType.NOT_FOUND)
        .args(userId)
        .build();

With an explicit (non-translated) message

throw ErrxException.create()
        .code("db.query_failed")
        .type(ErrorType.INTERNAL)
        .message("Could not reach primary replica")
        .build();

With validation fields

throw ErrxException.create()
        .code("validation.failed")
        .type(ErrorType.VALIDATION)
        .fields(Map.of(
            "email", "invalid format",
            "age", "must be at least 18"
        ))
        .build();

Wrap an existing exception

try {
    database.query(sql);
} catch (SQLException e) {
    throw ErrxException.wrap(e)
            .code("db.query_failed")
            .details(Map.of("query", sql))
            .build();
}

Extract metadata from any throwable

String code = ErrxException.getCode(exception);     // "user.not_found" or "unspecified"
ErrorType type = ErrxException.getType(exception);   // NOT_FOUND or INTERNAL
boolean match = ErrxException.isCodeIn(exception, "user.not_found", "order.not_found");
ErrxException ex = ErrxException.asErrxException(exception);

Conditionally change error type

// Change type to VALIDATION if code matches
ErrxException result = ErrxException.wrapWithTypeOnCodes(
        exception, ErrorType.VALIDATION,
        "invalid.email", "invalid.phone");

Error Types and HTTP Status Codes

ErrorType	HTTP Status	Description
INTERNAL	500	Unexpected server error
VALIDATION	400	Invalid user input
NOT_FOUND	400	Resource not found (not 404 — see note below)
CONFLICT	409	Resource already exists
AUTH	401	Authentication required
FORBIDDEN	403	Insufficient permissions
THROTTLING	429	Rate limit exceeded

Note: NOT_FOUND maps to HTTP 400, not 404. HTTP 404 is reserved for routing-level "no such endpoint" responses. A missing business resource (e.g., user not found) is a client input error.

Spring Boot Integration

Add errx-spring to your classpath — it auto-configures everything:

implementation("io.github.stackflowdev:errx-spring:0.1.0")

That's it. No @Import, no @ComponentScan, no configuration needed.

What you get automatically

• Exception handler — converts ErrxException into structured JSON responses
• Bean Validation — MethodArgumentNotValidException and ConstraintViolationException handled
• i18n message resolution — messages translated via MessageSource using Accept-Language
• Logging — server errors (5xx) at ERROR, client errors (4xx) at WARN
• Security — details and type are never exposed to clients

JSON response format

{
  "code": "user.not_found",
  "message": "User not found (ID: 42)",
  "timestamp": "2026-04-15T10:30:00Z"
}

With validation fields:

{
  "code": "validation.failed",
  "message": "Validation failed",
  "fields": {
    "email": "must be a valid email",
    "name": "must not be blank"
  },
  "timestamp": "2026-04-15T10:30:00Z"
}

The exception's type field is deliberately NOT included in the response body. It maps 1:1 to the HTTP status code, so clients already have that information.

i18n: messages by code

The exception's code is also the i18n message key. Spring resolves it through whatever MessageSource you have configured, using the locale from Accept-Language.

# src/main/resources/messages_en.properties
user.not_found=User not found (ID: {0})
validation.failed=Validation failed

# src/main/resources/messages_uz.properties
user.not_found=Foydalanuvchi topilmadi (ID: {0})
validation.failed=Ma''lumotlar tekshiruvidan o''tmadi

throw ErrxException.create()
        .code("user.not_found")
        .type(ErrorType.NOT_FOUND)
        .args(userId)       // → {0} in the bundle message
        .build();

Request headers drive which bundle Spring picks:

Accept-Language: en  →  "User not found (ID: 42)"
Accept-Language: uz  →  "Foydalanuvchi topilmadi (ID: 42)"

If no MessageSource is configured, or the key is missing from every bundle, the handler falls back to the raw code as the message.

Configure MessageSource in the usual Spring way — for example via application.yml:

spring:
  messages:
    basename: messages
    encoding: UTF-8
    always-use-message-format: true  # recommended — keeps apostrophe escaping consistent

Custom handler

To customize, define your own ErrxExceptionHandler bean — auto-configuration will back off:

@Bean
public ErrxExceptionHandler errxExceptionHandler(MessageSource messageSource) {
    return new MyCustomErrxExceptionHandler(messageSource);
}

Observing the cause chain

ErrxException preserves Java's native cause chain and stack trace. To debug propagation, log the exception directly — SLF4J prints the full chain:

try {
    process(request);
} catch (ErrxException ex) {
    log.error("request failed", ex);  // logs full stack trace + getCause() chain
}

Build

./gradlew build              # compile + test all modules
./gradlew :errx-core:test    # test core only
./gradlew :errx-spring:test  # test spring module only

Requirements

• Java 17+
• Spring Boot 3.x (for errx-spring module only)

License

MIT