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Copyright 2024 Guillermo Calvo
Wave goodbye to slow exceptions and embrace clean, efficient error handling by encapsulating operations that may succeed or fail in a type-safe way.
Result
objects represent the outcome of an operation, removing the need to check for null. Operations that succeed produce results encapsulating a success value; operations that fail produce results with a failure value. Success and failure can be represented by whatever types make the most sense for each operation.
In Java, methods that can fail typically do so by throwing exceptions. Then, exception-throwing methods are called from inside a try
block to handle errors in a separate catch
block.
This approach is lengthy, and that's not the only problem â it's also very slow.
Conventional wisdom says exceptional logic shouldn't be used for normal program flow. Results make us deal with expected error situations explicitly to enforce good practices and make our programs run faster.
Let's now look at how the above code could be refactored if connect()
returned a Result
object instead of throwing an exception.
In the example above, we used only 4 lines of code to replace the 10 that worked for the first one. But we can effortlessly make it shorter by chaining methods. In fact, since we were returning -1
just to signal that the underlying operation failed, we are better off returning a Result
object upstream. This will allow us to compose operations on top of getServerUptime()
just like we did with connect()
.
Result
objects are immutable, providing thread safety without the need for synchronization. This makes them ideal for multi-threaded applications, ensuring predictability and eliminating side effects.
Read the guide and transform your error handling today.
Also available as an ebook in multiple formats. Download your free copy now!
Not a fan of reading long docs? No worries! Tune in to Deep Dive, a podcast generated by NetbookLM. In just a few minutes, you'll get the essential details and a fun intro to what this library can do for you!
Boost Performance
Avoid exception overhead and benefit from faster operations
Simple API
Leverage a familiar interface for a smooth learning curve
Streamlined Error Handling
Handle failure explicitly to simplify error propagation
Safe Execution
Ensure safer and more predictable operation outcomes
Enhanced Readability
Reduce complexity to make your code easier to understand
Functional Style
Embrace elegant, functional programming paradigms
Lightweight
Keep your project slim with no extra dependencies
Open Source
Enjoy transparent, permissive Apache 2 licensing
Pure Java
Seamless compatibility from JDK8 to the latest versions