Global Error Handling in .NET 8

Error handling is a critical component of any robust web application. In .NET 8, global error handling has been enhanced to provide more streamlined and efficient management of exceptions. This post will guide you through setting up global error handling in your .NET 8 application, ensuring your app can gracefully handle unexpected errors.

Why Global Error Handling?

Global error handling allows you to manage exceptions in a centralized manner. This approach ensures that all unhandled exceptions are caught and processed uniformly, improving the robustness and user experience of your application.

Setting Up Global Error Handling

To set up global error handling in .NET 8, follow these steps:

Step 1. Create a Custom Middleware

First, create a custom middleware to handle exceptions. This middleware will catch exceptions and return a user-friendly error response.

   public class GlobalExceptionHandlerMiddleware
   {
       private readonly RequestDelegate _next;

       public GlobalExceptionHandlerMiddleware(RequestDelegate next)
       {
           _next = next;
       }

       public async Task InvokeAsync(HttpContext context)
       {
           try
           {
               await _next(context);
           }
           catch (Exception ex)
           {
               await HandleExceptionAsync(context, ex);
           }
       }

       private static Task HandleExceptionAsync(HttpContext context, Exception exception)
       {
           context.Response.ContentType = "application/json";
           context.Response.StatusCode = (int)HttpStatusCode.InternalServerError;

           var response = new { message = "An unexpected error occurred.", details = exception.Message };
           return context.Response.WriteAsync(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(response));
       }
   }

Step 2. Register the Middleware

Next, register the middleware in the Configure method of your Startup class.

   public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IWebHostEnvironment env)
   {
       app.UseMiddleware<GlobalExceptionHandlerMiddleware>();

       // Other middleware registrations
       app.UseRouting();
       app.UseEndpoints(endpoints =>
       {
           endpoints.MapControllers();
       });
   }

Step 3. Test the Error Handling

To test the global error handling, you can create a controller that throws an exception.

   [ApiController]
   [Route("[controller]")]
   public class TestController : ControllerBase
   {
       [HttpGet]
       public IActionResult Get()
       {
           throw new Exception("Test exception");
       }
   }

When you navigate to the endpoint, you should see a JSON response with the error message.

Benefits of Global Error Handling

• Consistency: Ensures all errors are handled in a consistent manner.
• Maintainability: Centralized error handling makes the code easier to maintain.
• User Experience: Provides a better user experience by returning friendly error messages.

Conclusion

Global error handling in .NET 8 is a powerful feature that can help you build more robust and user-friendly applications. By following the steps outlined in this post, you can set up global error handling in your application and ensure that all exceptions are managed gracefully.