Building robust exception handling in microservices requires more than just try-catch blocks. This comprehensive guide covers AdventureTube’s proven three-layer approach to exception management, implemented in production microservices handling millions of requests.
Who This Guide Is For
- Spring Boot developers building or maintaining microservices
- Backend engineers struggling with inconsistent error handling
- Teams wanting to standardize exception management across services
- Developers preparing for production-ready microservice architectures
What You’ll Learn
This comprehensive guide takes you through a complete learning journey from foundational concepts to production implementation:
🎯 Foundation Concepts
Master the fundamentals of HTTP status code mapping and priority order strategy.
- Complete HTTP status code mappings for different scenarios
- Critical priority order: Dependencies → Business → Unknown
- Real-world createUser() implementation example
🏗️ Architecture Design
Build a robust exception handling architecture with proper separation of concerns.
- BaseServiceException with automatic origin tracking
- Service-specific exception classes and ErrorCode enums
- GlobalExceptionHandler for centralized management
💻 Implementation Patterns
Learn when to use exceptions vs. normal control flow with practical examples.
- Controller vs Service layer decision framework
- Anti-patterns to avoid in exception handling
- Real code examples from production systems
🚀 Production Deployment
Deploy your exception handling system with confidence using proven strategies.
- Comprehensive testing strategies for exception scenarios
- Monitoring and observability best practices
- Step-by-step deployment checklist
Key Benefits
After implementing this exception handling strategy, you’ll have:
Uniform HTTP status codes across all microservices
Priority-based checking prevents unnecessary processing
Clear separation between system failures and business rule violations
Exception types help operations teams identify real issues quickly
Battle-Tested in Production
This approach is production-proven in AdventureTube’s microservices, handling millions of requests across authentication, user management, and content delivery systems. The patterns you’ll learn have been refined through real-world usage and scale horizontally with proper error boundaries.
Quick Start
Ready to get started immediately? Follow these steps:
- Define ErrorCode Enums – Start with your service-specific error codes
- Create BaseServiceException – Implement origin tracking for debugging
- Add GlobalExceptionHandler – Centralize all exception management
- Apply Priority Order – Dependencies → Business → Unknown
- Test Exception Scenarios – Include error cases in your test suite
Basic Setup Example
// 1. Define your ErrorCode enum
@Getter
public enum MemberErrorCode implements ErrorCode {
USER_NOT_FOUND("User not found", HttpStatus.NOT_FOUND),
USER_EMAIL_DUPLICATE("User already exists", HttpStatus.CONFLICT);
private final String message;
private final HttpStatus httpStatus;
}
// 2. Create custom exception
public class UserNotFoundException extends BaseServiceException {
public UserNotFoundException(MemberErrorCode errorCode) {
super(errorCode);
}
}
// 3. Service layer implementation
public Member createUser(CreateUserRequest request) {
// Priority Order: Dependencies → Business → Unknown
if (!databaseService.isAvailable()) {
throw new ServiceUnavailableException(INTERNAL_ERROR);
}
if (memberRepository.findByEmail(request.getEmail()).isPresent()) {
throw new DuplicateException(USER_EMAIL_DUPLICATE);
}
return memberRepository.save(new Member(request));
}Success Metrics
Implementation Timeline
Week 1: Foundation
- Define ErrorCode enums for each service
- Create BaseServiceException with origin tracking
- Implement basic GlobalExceptionHandler
- Apply priority order in service methods
Week 2: Architecture
- Create service-specific exception classes
- Implement ServiceResponse wrapper
- Add comprehensive exception handling
- Update all existing endpoints
Week 3: Production
- Add exception testing scenarios
- Implement monitoring and metrics
- Deploy with proper logging
- Create incident response procedures
This comprehensive guide represents battle-tested patterns from AdventureTube’s production microservices, handling millions of requests with robust error management.