Error Handling

Overview

The Upstash Redis SDK provides specific error types to help you handle different failure scenarios. All errors extend the standard JavaScript Error class with additional context.

Error Types

The SDK defines three main error types in pkg/error.ts:

UpstashError

The base error class for general Redis operation failures:

export class UpstashError extends Error {
  constructor(message: string, options?: ErrorOptions) {
    super(message, options);
    this.name = "UpstashError";
  }
}

When it’s thrown:

Invalid Redis commands
Server-side errors
Invalid responses from Redis
Pipeline/transaction failures

Example:

import { Redis, UpstashError } from '@upstash/redis';

const redis = new Redis({
  url: process.env.UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL!,
  token: process.env.UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN!,
});

try {
  // Try to use HGET on a string key (type mismatch)
  await redis.set('mykey', 'value');
  await redis.hget('mykey', 'field');
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof UpstashError) {
    console.error('Redis operation failed:', error.message);
  }
}

UrlError

Thrown when an invalid URL is provided during client initialization:

export class UrlError extends Error {
  constructor(url: string) {
    super(
      `Upstash Redis client was passed an invalid URL. You should pass a URL starting with https. Received: "${url}". `
    );
    this.name = "UrlError";
  }
}

When it’s thrown:

URL doesn’t start with https://
Malformed URL format

Example:

import { Redis, UrlError } from '@upstash/redis';

try {
  const redis = new Redis({
    url: 'http://invalid-url.com', // Missing https
    token: 'token',
  });
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof UrlError) {
    console.error('Invalid URL:', error.message);
  }
}

UpstashJSONParseError

Thrown when the SDK fails to parse a response from Redis:

export class UpstashJSONParseError extends UpstashError {
  constructor(body: string, options?: UpstashErrorOptions) {
    const truncatedBody = body.length > 200 ? body.slice(0, 200) + "..." : body;
    super(`Unable to parse response body: ${truncatedBody}`, options);
    this.name = "UpstashJSONParseError";
  }
}

When it’s thrown:

Response body is not valid JSON
Corrupted response data
Unexpected response format

Example:

import { UpstashJSONParseError } from '@upstash/redis';

try {
  const result = await redis.get('somekey');
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof UpstashJSONParseError) {
    console.error('Failed to parse response:', error.message);
    // The error message includes the truncated response body
  }
}

Common Error Scenarios

Type Mismatch Errors

Attempting an operation on the wrong data type:

try {
  await redis.set('user:1', 'John');
  await redis.hget('user:1', 'name'); // Error: key is a string, not a hash
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof UpstashError) {
    console.error('Type mismatch:', error.message);
    // Handle by checking key type first or recreating the key
  }
}

Authentication Errors

try {
  const redis = new Redis({
    url: process.env.UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL!,
    token: 'invalid-token',
  });
  
  await redis.ping();
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Authentication failed:', error);
  // Check your token and URL
}

Network Errors

try {
  await redis.get('mykey');
} catch (error) {
  if (error.message.includes('fetch failed') || error.message.includes('network')) {
    console.error('Network error:', error);
    // Implement retry logic
  }
}

Pipeline Errors

By default, pipeline errors cause the entire pipeline to fail:

import { UpstashError } from '@upstash/redis';

try {
  const results = await redis.pipeline()
    .set('key1', 'value1')
    .hget('key1', 'field') // This will fail
    .get('key2')
    .exec();
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof UpstashError) {
    console.error('Pipeline failed:', error.message);
    // Error message indicates which command failed
  }
}

Handling Pipeline Errors Individually

Use keepErrors to handle errors per-command:

const results = await redis.pipeline()
  .set('key1', 'value1')
  .hget('key1', 'field') // This will fail
  .get('key1')
  .exec({ keepErrors: true });

results.forEach((item, index) => {
  if (item.error) {
    console.error(`Command ${index} failed:`, item.error);
  } else {
    console.log(`Command ${index} succeeded:`, item.result);
  }
});

Best Practices

1. Use Type Guards

import { UpstashError, UrlError, UpstashJSONParseError } from '@upstash/redis';

try {
  await redis.get('mykey');
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof UrlError) {
    // Handle configuration error
    console.error('Configuration error:', error.message);
  } else if (error instanceof UpstashJSONParseError) {
    // Handle parsing error
    console.error('Response parsing failed:', error.message);
  } else if (error instanceof UpstashError) {
    // Handle general Redis error
    console.error('Redis error:', error.message);
  } else {
    // Handle unexpected errors
    console.error('Unexpected error:', error);
  }
}

2. Implement Retry Logic

async function getWithRetry<T>(
  redis: Redis,
  key: string,
  maxRetries = 3
): Promise<T | null> {
  let lastError;
  
  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
    try {
      return await redis.get<T>(key);
    } catch (error) {
      lastError = error;
      
      if (error instanceof UpstashJSONParseError) {
        // Don't retry parsing errors
        throw error;
      }
      
      if (i < maxRetries - 1) {
        // Wait before retrying (exponential backoff)
        await new Promise(resolve => 
          setTimeout(resolve, Math.pow(2, i) * 1000)
        );
      }
    }
  }
  
  throw lastError;
}

3. Graceful Degradation

async function getUserData(userId: string) {
  try {
    const userData = await redis.hgetall(`user:${userId}`);
    return userData;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to fetch from Redis:', error);
    
    // Fallback to database or default values
    return await fetchFromDatabase(userId);
  }
}

4. Transaction Error Handling

try {
  const results = await redis.multi()
    .set('balance:user1', 100)
    .decrby('balance:user1', 50)
    .incrby('balance:user2', 50)
    .exec();
  
  console.log('Transaction completed:', results);
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof UpstashError) {
    console.error('Transaction failed:', error.message);
    // Implement compensating transaction or rollback logic
  }
}

5. Validation Before Operations

async function safeHashGet(key: string, field: string) {
  try {
    // Check key type first
    const keyType = await redis.type(key);
    
    if (keyType !== 'hash' && keyType !== 'none') {
      throw new Error(`Key '${key}' is of type '${keyType}', expected 'hash'`);
    }
    
    return await redis.hget(key, field);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Safe hash get failed:', error);
    return null;
  }
}

6. Logging and Monitoring

import { UpstashError } from '@upstash/redis';

function logRedisError(error: unknown, context: string) {
  const errorInfo = {
    context,
    timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
    name: error instanceof Error ? error.name : 'Unknown',
    message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
    isUpstashError: error instanceof UpstashError,
  };
  
  // Send to your logging service
  console.error('Redis Error:', errorInfo);
  
  // Optional: Send to monitoring service
  // monitoring.trackError(errorInfo);
}

try {
  await redis.get('mykey');
} catch (error) {
  logRedisError(error, 'getUserData');
  throw error;
}

Error Cause Chain

Upstash errors support the cause option for error chaining:

try {
  await someOperation();
} catch (originalError) {
  throw new UpstashError(
    'Failed to process user data',
    { cause: originalError }
  );
}

Access the cause:

catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof UpstashError && error.cause) {
    console.error('Original error:', error.cause);
  }
}

Debugging Tips

1. Enable Latency Logging

const redis = new Redis({
  url: process.env.UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL!,
  token: process.env.UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN!,
  latencyLogging: true,
});

2. Inspect Error Objects

catch (error) {
  console.error('Error details:', {
    name: error.name,
    message: error.message,
    stack: error.stack,
    cause: error.cause,
  });
}

3. Test Error Scenarios

// Test type mismatch
try {
  await redis.set('testkey', 'value');
  await redis.hget('testkey', 'field');
} catch (error) {
  console.log('Expected type mismatch error:', error.message);
}

// Test invalid key
try {
  await redis.get('nonexistent');
  console.log('Result is null for nonexistent keys');
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Unexpected error:', error);
}

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Platform Guides

Advanced Features

Examples

Overview

Error Types

UpstashError

UrlError

UpstashJSONParseError

Common Error Scenarios

Type Mismatch Errors

Authentication Errors

Network Errors

Pipeline Errors

Handling Pipeline Errors Individually

Best Practices

1. Use Type Guards

2. Implement Retry Logic

3. Graceful Degradation

4. Transaction Error Handling

5. Validation Before Operations

6. Logging and Monitoring

Error Cause Chain

Debugging Tips

1. Enable Latency Logging

2. Inspect Error Objects

3. Test Error Scenarios

See Also

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Platform Guides

Advanced Features

Examples

​Overview

​Error Types

​UpstashError

​UrlError

​UpstashJSONParseError

​Common Error Scenarios

​Type Mismatch Errors

​Authentication Errors

​Network Errors

​Pipeline Errors

​Handling Pipeline Errors Individually

​Best Practices

​1. Use Type Guards

​2. Implement Retry Logic

​3. Graceful Degradation

​4. Transaction Error Handling

​5. Validation Before Operations

​6. Logging and Monitoring

​Error Cause Chain

​Debugging Tips

​1. Enable Latency Logging

​2. Inspect Error Objects

​3. Test Error Scenarios

​See Also

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Error Types

UpstashError

UrlError

UpstashJSONParseError

Common Error Scenarios

Type Mismatch Errors

Authentication Errors

Network Errors

Pipeline Errors

Handling Pipeline Errors Individually

Best Practices

1. Use Type Guards

2. Implement Retry Logic

3. Graceful Degradation

4. Transaction Error Handling

5. Validation Before Operations

6. Logging and Monitoring

Error Cause Chain

Debugging Tips

1. Enable Latency Logging

2. Inspect Error Objects

3. Test Error Scenarios

See Also