# Getting Started {% hint style="success" %} The best way to think of Results is as a super-powered version of Java's Optionals. {% endhint %} `Result` builds upon the familiar concept of `Optional`, enhancing it with the ability to represent both success and failure states. ![No need to return null or throw an exception: just return a failed result.](https://137539276-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MfavUYGNGvzkCicVu3-%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-e6747b416fb83f690b09aa1c141a56df4b1052f3%2Fgetting-started.png?alt=media) {% tabs %} {% tab title="Why Results over Optionals?" %} `Optional` class is useful for representing values that might be present or absent, eliminating the need for null checks. However, Optionals fall short when it comes to error handling because they do not convey why a value is lacking. `Result` addresses this limitation by encapsulating both successful values and failure reasons, offering a more expressive way to reason about what went wrong. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Result API" %} Results provide the same methods as Optionals, plus additional ones to handle failure states effectively. | [`Optional`](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.base/java/util/Optional.html) | [`Result`](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html) | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [isPresent](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.base/java/util/Optional.html#isPresent\(\)) | [hasSuccess](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#hasSuccess--) | | [isEmpty](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.base/java/util/Optional.html#isEmpty\(\)) | [hasFailure](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#hasFailure--) | | [get](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.base/java/util/Optional.html#get\(\)) | [getSuccess](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#getSuccess--) | | | [getFailure](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#getFailure--) | | [orElse](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.base/java/util/Optional.html#orElse\(java.lang.Object\)) | [orElse](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#orElse-S-) | | [orElseGet](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.base/java/util/Optional.html#orElseGet\(java.util.function.Supplier\)) | [orElseMap](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#orElseMap-java.util.function.Function-) | | [stream](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.base/java/util/Optional.html#stream\(\)) | [streamSuccess](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#streamSuccess--) | | | [streamFailure](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#streamFailure--) | | [ifPresent](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.base/java/util/Optional.html#ifPresent\(java.util.function.Consumer\)) | [ifSuccess](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#ifSuccess-java.util.function.Consumer-) | | | [ifFailure](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#ifFailure-java.util.function.Consumer-) | | [ifPresentOrElse](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.base/java/util/Optional.html#ifPresentOrElse\(java.util.function.Consumer,java.lang.Runnable\)) | [ifSuccessOrElse](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#ifSuccessOrElse-java.util.function.Consumer-java.util.function.Consumer-) | | [filter](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.base/java/util/Optional.html#filter\(java.util.function.Predicate\)) | [filter](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#filter-java.util.function.Predicate-java.util.function.Function-) | | | [recover](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#recover-java.util.function.Predicate-java.util.function.Function-) | | [map](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.base/java/util/Optional.html#map\(java.util.function.Function\)) | [mapSuccess](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#mapSuccess-java.util.function.Function-) | | | [mapFailure](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#mapFailure-java.util.function.Function-) | | | [map](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#map-java.util.function.Function-java.util.function.Function-) | | [flatMap](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.base/java/util/Optional.html#flatMap\(java.util.function.Function\)) | [flatMapSuccess](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#flatMapSuccess-java.util.function.Function-) | | [or](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.base/java/util/Optional.html#or\(java.util.function.Supplier\)) | [flatMapFailure](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#flatMapFailure-java.util.function.Function-) | | | [flatMap](https://javadoc.io/doc/com.leakyabstractions/result-api/latest/com/leakyabstractions/result/api/Result.html#flatMap-java.util.function.Function-java.util.function.Function-) | | {% endtab %} | | | {% endtabs %} | | By leveraging Results, you can unleash a powerful tool for error handling that goes beyond the capabilities of traditional Optionals, leading to more robust and maintainable Java code. ## Results in a Nutshell 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. ![Using Exceptions](https://137539276-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MfavUYGNGvzkCicVu3-%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-d9f42c6766637a6289cfe7bf8eaefb5bd0ae22a8%2Fusing-exceptions.png?alt=media) This approach is lengthy, and that's not the only problem — it's also very slow. {% hint style="info" %} 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](https://result.leakyabstractions.com/extra/benchmarks). {% endhint %} Let's now look at how the above code could be refactored if `connect()` returned a `Result` object instead of throwing an exception. ![Using Results](https://137539276-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MfavUYGNGvzkCicVu3-%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-3a484bbc01c680b2ee7654ecd8dcc2b2f6b7ac2c%2Fusing-results.png?alt=media) 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()`. ![Embracing Results](https://137539276-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MfavUYGNGvzkCicVu3-%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-f7ce8795b94a9b9ddb447567ed1e756e67048ccd%2Fembracing-results.png?alt=media) {% hint style="success" %} `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. {% endhint %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://result.leakyabstractions.com/docs/start.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.