Error Handling — Laravel + Inertia + React

Comprehensive patterns for handling errors across the full stack: Laravel exception handling, custom domain exceptions, API error formats, React Error Boundaries, Inertia error handling, and logging strategies.

1. Laravel Exception Handler Customization

Laravel 11+ uses bootstrap/app.php for exception handling configuration. Earlier versions use app/Exceptions/Handler.php.

Laravel 11+ Configuration

php

// bootstrap/app.php
use Illuminate\Foundation\Application;
use Illuminate\Foundation\Configuration\Exceptions;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\Exception\NotFoundHttpException;

return Application::configure(basePath: dirname(__DIR__))
    ->withExceptions(function (Exceptions $exceptions) {

        // Render custom responses for specific exceptions
        $exceptions->render(function (NotFoundHttpException $e, Request $request) {
            if ($request->is('api/*')) {
                return response()->json([
                    'error'   => 'resource_not_found',
                    'message' => 'The requested resource was not found.',
                ], 404);
            }
        });

        // Handle domain exceptions
        $exceptions->render(function (OrderNotCancellableException $e, Request $request) {
            if ($request->is('api/*')) {
                return response()->json([
                    'error'   => 'order_not_cancellable',
                    'message' => $e->getMessage(),
                ], 422);
            }

            return back()->with('error', $e->getMessage());
        });

        // Report to external services
        $exceptions->report(function (OrderNotCancellableException $e) {
            // ~~monitoring: Log to Sentry/Bugsnag
            // Sentry::captureException($e);
            logger()->warning('Order cancellation attempted', [
                'order_id' => $e->orderId,
            ]);
        });

        // Don't report certain exceptions
        $exceptions->dontReport([
            OrderNotCancellableException::class,
            InsufficientInventoryException::class,
        ]);

    })->create();

Laravel 10 Handler Pattern

php

// app/Exceptions/Handler.php
namespace App\Exceptions;

use Illuminate\Foundation\Exceptions\Handler as ExceptionHandler;
use Throwable;

class Handler extends ExceptionHandler
{
    protected $dontReport = [
        OrderNotCancellableException::class,
    ];

    public function register(): void
    {
        $this->renderable(function (NotFoundHttpException $e, Request $request) {
            if ($request->is('api/*')) {
                return response()->json([
                    'error'   => 'resource_not_found',
                    'message' => 'The requested resource was not found.',
                ], 404);
            }
        });

        $this->reportable(function (Throwable $e) {
            // ~~monitoring: Sentry integration
            // if (app()->bound('sentry')) {
            //     app('sentry')->captureException($e);
            // }
        });
    }
}

2. Custom Domain Exceptions

Create specific exception classes for domain-level error conditions. These make error handling explicit and testable.

Base Domain Exception

php

<?php

namespace App\Exceptions;

use RuntimeException;

abstract class DomainException extends RuntimeException
{
    public function __construct(
        string $message,
        public readonly ?string $errorCode = null,
        public readonly array $context = [],
        int $code = 0,
        ?\Throwable $previous = null,
    ) {
        parent::__construct($message, $code, $previous);
    }

    /**
     * HTTP status code for this exception when rendered as a response.
     */
    public function statusCode(): int
    {
        return 422;
    }

    /**
     * Structured error payload for API responses.
     */
    public function toArray(): array
    {
        return [
            'error'   => $this->errorCode ?? 'domain_error',
            'message' => $this->getMessage(),
        ];
    }
}

Specific Domain Exceptions

php

<?php

namespace App\Exceptions;

use App\Models\Order;

class OrderNotCancellableException extends DomainException
{
    public readonly int $orderId;

    public static function forOrder(Order $order): self
    {
        $instance = new self(
            message: "Order #{$order->id} with status '{$order->status->label()}' cannot be cancelled.",
            errorCode: 'order_not_cancellable',
            context: ['order_id' => $order->id, 'status' => $order->status->value],
        );
        $instance->orderId = $order->id;

        return $instance;
    }

    public function statusCode(): int
    {
        return 422;
    }
}

php

<?php

namespace App\Exceptions;

class InsufficientInventoryException extends DomainException
{
    public static function forProduct(int $productId, int $requested, int $available): self
    {
        return new self(
            message: "Insufficient inventory for product #{$productId}. Requested: {$requested}, Available: {$available}.",
            errorCode: 'insufficient_inventory',
            context: compact('productId', 'requested', 'available'),
        );
    }

    public function statusCode(): int
    {
        return 409;
    }
}

php

<?php

namespace App\Exceptions;

class PaymentFailedException extends DomainException
{
    public static function declined(string $reason): self
    {
        return new self(
            message: "Payment was declined: {$reason}",
            errorCode: 'payment_declined',
            context: ['reason' => $reason],
        );
    }

    public static function gatewayTimeout(): self
    {
        return new self(
            message: 'Payment gateway did not respond in time. Please try again.',
            errorCode: 'payment_gateway_timeout',
        );
    }

    public function statusCode(): int
    {
        return 402;
    }
}

Using Domain Exceptions in Services

php

class OrderService
{
    public function cancel(Order $order): Order
    {
        if (! $order->status->isCancellable()) {
            throw OrderNotCancellableException::forOrder($order);
        }

        return DB::transaction(function () use ($order) {
            $order->update(['status' => OrderStatus::Cancelled]);
            event(new OrderCancelled($order));
            return $order->fresh();
        });
    }
}

3. API Error Response Format

Maintain a consistent JSON error structure across the entire API.

Standard Error Response Structure

json

{
    "error": "error_code_snake_case",
    "message": "Human-readable description of what went wrong.",
    "errors": {
        "field_name": ["Validation message for this field."]
    },
    "meta": {
        "request_id": "uuid-here",
        "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z"
    }
}

Error Response Helper Trait

php

<?php

namespace App\Http\Traits;

use Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse;

trait ApiResponses
{
    protected function errorResponse(
        string $error,
        string $message,
        int $status = 400,
        array $errors = [],
    ): JsonResponse {
        $payload = [
            'error'   => $error,
            'message' => $message,
        ];

        if (! empty($errors)) {
            $payload['errors'] = $errors;
        }

        return response()->json($payload, $status);
    }

    protected function validationErrorResponse(array $errors): JsonResponse
    {
        return $this->errorResponse(
            error: 'validation_error',
            message: 'The given data was invalid.',
            status: 422,
            errors: $errors,
        );
    }

    protected function notFoundResponse(string $message = 'Resource not found.'): JsonResponse
    {
        return $this->errorResponse('not_found', $message, 404);
    }

    protected function unauthorizedResponse(string $message = 'Unauthorized.'): JsonResponse
    {
        return $this->errorResponse('unauthorized', $message, 401);
    }

    protected function forbiddenResponse(string $message = 'Forbidden.'): JsonResponse
    {
        return $this->errorResponse('forbidden', $message, 403);
    }
}

HTTP Status Code Mapping

Status Code	Error Code	When to Use
400	`bad_request`	Malformed request, missing required headers
401	`unauthorized`	Missing or invalid authentication
402	`payment_required`	Payment failed or required
403	`forbidden`	Authenticated but not authorized
404	`not_found`	Resource does not exist
409	`conflict`	State conflict (e.g., duplicate, insufficient inventory)
422	`validation_error`	Validation failed, domain rule violation
423	`locked`	Resource is locked for editing
429	`rate_limited`	Too many requests
500	`server_error`	Unexpected server error
503	`service_unavailable`	Maintenance or dependency outage

4. Validation Error Handling

FormRequest Validation with Inertia

Inertia automatically handles validation errors. When a FormRequest fails, Laravel redirects back with errors in the session. Inertia picks these up and makes them available via usePage().props.errors.

php

// app/Http/Requests/Order/StoreOrderRequest.php
class StoreOrderRequest extends FormRequest
{
    public function rules(): array
    {
        return [
            'customer_name'  => ['required', 'string', 'max:255'],
            'customer_email' => ['required', 'email', 'max:255'],
            'items'          => ['required', 'array', 'min:1'],
            'items.*.product_id' => ['required', 'exists:products,id'],
            'items.*.quantity'   => ['required', 'integer', 'min:1'],
        ];
    }

    public function messages(): array
    {
        return [
            'items.required' => 'At least one item is required.',
            'items.min'      => 'At least one item is required.',
            'items.*.product_id.exists' => 'The selected product does not exist.',
        ];
    }
}

Form Error Display in React (useForm)

tsx

import { useForm } from '@inertiajs/react';

export default function CreateOrder() {
    const { data, setData, post, processing, errors, reset } = useForm({
        customer_name: '',
        customer_email: '',
        items: [{ product_id: '', quantity: 1 }],
    });

    const handleSubmit = (e: React.FormEvent) => {
        e.preventDefault();
        post(route('orders.store'), {
            onSuccess: () => reset(),
        });
    };

    return (
        <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
            <div>
                <label htmlFor="customer_name">Customer Name</label>
                <input
                    id="customer_name"
                    value={data.customer_name}
                    onChange={e => setData('customer_name', e.target.value)}
                    className={errors.customer_name ? 'border-red-500' : ''}
                />
                {errors.customer_name && (
                    <p className="mt-1 text-sm text-red-600">{errors.customer_name}</p>
                )}
            </div>

            <div>
                <label htmlFor="customer_email">Email</label>
                <input
                    id="customer_email"
                    type="email"
                    value={data.customer_email}
                    onChange={e => setData('customer_email', e.target.value)}
                    className={errors.customer_email ? 'border-red-500' : ''}
                />
                {errors.customer_email && (
                    <p className="mt-1 text-sm text-red-600">{errors.customer_email}</p>
                )}
            </div>

            <button type="submit" disabled={processing}>
                {processing ? 'Creating...' : 'Create Order'}
            </button>
        </form>
    );
}

Reusable InputError Component

tsx

// resources/js/Components/InputError.tsx
interface Props {
    message?: string;
    className?: string;
}

export default function InputError({ message, className = '' }: Props) {
    if (!message) return null;

    return (
        <p className={`text-sm text-red-600 ${className}`}>
            {message}
        </p>
    );
}

// Usage:
<InputError message={errors.customer_name} className="mt-1" />

5. Database Transaction Error Handling

Wrapping Service Operations in Transactions

php

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
use Illuminate\Database\QueryException;

class OrderService
{
    public function create(OrderDTO $dto): Order
    {
        try {
            return DB::transaction(function () use ($dto) {
                $order = Order::create($dto->toArray());

                foreach ($dto->items as $item) {
                    $order->items()->create($item->toArray());
                    $this->decrementInventory($item->productId, $item->quantity);
                }

                event(new OrderCreated($order));

                return $order->fresh(['items']);
            });
        } catch (QueryException $e) {
            // Handle specific database errors
            if ($e->getCode() === '23000') { // Integrity constraint violation
                throw new DomainException(
                    'A database constraint was violated. Please check your data.',
                    'constraint_violation',
                );
            }
            throw $e; // Re-throw unexpected database errors
        }
    }

    private function decrementInventory(int $productId, int $quantity): void
    {
        $affected = Product::where('id', $productId)
            ->where('stock', '>=', $quantity)
            ->decrement('stock', $quantity);

        if ($affected === 0) {
            $product = Product::find($productId);
            throw InsufficientInventoryException::forProduct(
                $productId,
                $quantity,
                $product->stock ?? 0,
            );
        }
    }
}

Deadlock Retry

php

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;

// Laravel handles deadlock retries automatically with the attempts parameter:
DB::transaction(function () {
    // Critical section
    Order::lockForUpdate()->find($orderId);
    // ...
}, attempts: 3); // Retry up to 3 times on deadlock

6. React Error Boundaries

Class Component Error Boundary

tsx

// resources/js/Components/ErrorBoundary.tsx
import React, { Component, ErrorInfo, ReactNode } from 'react';

interface Props {
    children: ReactNode;
    fallback?: ReactNode;
    onError?: (error: Error, errorInfo: ErrorInfo) => void;
}

interface State {
    hasError: boolean;
    error: Error | null;
}

export class ErrorBoundary extends Component<Props, State> {
    constructor(props: Props) {
        super(props);
        this.state = { hasError: false, error: null };
    }

    static getDerivedStateFromError(error: Error): State {
        return { hasError: true, error };
    }

    componentDidCatch(error: Error, errorInfo: ErrorInfo): void {
        console.error('ErrorBoundary caught:', error, errorInfo);

        // ~~monitoring: Report to Sentry/Bugsnag
        // Sentry.captureException(error, { extra: errorInfo });

        this.props.onError?.(error, errorInfo);
    }

    render() {
        if (this.state.hasError) {
            return this.props.fallback ?? (
                <div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center min-h-[400px] p-8">
                    <h2 className="text-xl font-semibold text-gray-900">Something went wrong</h2>
                    <p className="mt-2 text-gray-600">
                        An unexpected error occurred. Please try refreshing the page.
                    </p>
                    <button
                        onClick={() => this.setState({ hasError: false, error: null })}
                        className="mt-4 px-4 py-2 bg-blue-600 text-white rounded hover:bg-blue-700"
                    >
                        Try Again
                    </button>
                </div>
            );
        }

        return this.props.children;
    }
}

Functional Wrapper Pattern

tsx

// resources/js/hooks/useErrorHandler.ts
import { useCallback, useState } from 'react';

export function useErrorHandler() {
    const [error, setError] = useState<Error | null>(null);

    const handleError = useCallback((error: unknown) => {
        const normalizedError = error instanceof Error
            ? error
            : new Error(String(error));

        setError(normalizedError);

        // ~~monitoring: Report to external service
        console.error('Caught error:', normalizedError);
    }, []);

    const clearError = useCallback(() => setError(null), []);

    return { error, handleError, clearError };
}

Using Error Boundaries in Layouts

tsx

// resources/js/Layouts/AuthenticatedLayout.tsx
import { ErrorBoundary } from '@/Components/ErrorBoundary';

export default function AuthenticatedLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
    return (
        <div className="min-h-screen bg-gray-100">
            <nav>{/* Navigation */}</nav>

            <ErrorBoundary
                fallback={
                    <div className="max-w-7xl mx-auto py-12 px-4 text-center">
                        <h2 className="text-2xl font-bold">Page Error</h2>
                        <p className="mt-2 text-gray-600">
                            This section encountered an error. Your data is safe.
                        </p>
                        <a href="/" className="mt-4 inline-block text-blue-600 hover:underline">
                            Return to Dashboard
                        </a>
                    </div>
                }
            >
                <main className="max-w-7xl mx-auto py-6 px-4">{children}</main>
            </ErrorBoundary>
        </div>
    );
}

7. Inertia.js Error Handling

Inertia Error Pages

Configure Inertia to render custom error pages for HTTP errors:

php

// bootstrap/app.php (Laravel 11+)
use Inertia\Inertia;
use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response;

->withExceptions(function (Exceptions $exceptions) {
    $exceptions->respond(function (Response $response) {
        $status = $response->getStatusCode();

        if (in_array($status, [403, 404, 500, 503])) {
            return Inertia::render('Error', [
                'status' => $status,
                'message' => match ($status) {
                    403 => 'You are not authorized to access this page.',
                    404 => 'The page you are looking for could not be found.',
                    500 => 'An unexpected server error occurred.',
                    503 => 'The service is temporarily unavailable.',
                },
            ])->toResponse(request())->setStatusCode($status);
        }

        return $response;
    });
})

Error Page Component

tsx

// resources/js/Pages/Error.tsx
import { Head } from '@inertiajs/react';

interface Props {
    status: number;
    message: string;
}

export default function Error({ status, message }: Props) {
    const titles: Record<number, string> = {
        403: 'Forbidden',
        404: 'Not Found',
        500: 'Server Error',
        503: 'Service Unavailable',
    };

    return (
        <>
            <Head title={`${status} - ${titles[status] ?? 'Error'}`} />
            <div className="flex min-h-screen items-center justify-center">
                <div className="text-center">
                    <h1 className="text-6xl font-bold text-gray-300">{status}</h1>
                    <h2 className="mt-4 text-2xl font-semibold text-gray-900">
                        {titles[status] ?? 'Error'}
                    </h2>
                    <p className="mt-2 text-gray-600">{message}</p>
                    <a
                        href="/"
                        className="mt-6 inline-block px-6 py-3 bg-blue-600 text-white rounded-lg hover:bg-blue-700"
                    >
                        Go Home
                    </a>
                </div>
            </div>
        </>
    );
}

Global Inertia Error Listener

tsx

// resources/js/app.tsx
import { router } from '@inertiajs/react';

// Listen for global Inertia errors (network failures, unexpected responses)
router.on('error', (event) => {
    console.error('Inertia error:', event);
    // ~~monitoring: Report to error tracking service
});

// Handle invalid responses (e.g., non-Inertia response from server)
router.on('invalid', (event) => {
    event.preventDefault();
    console.error('Invalid Inertia response. Reloading page.');
    window.location.reload();
});

// Handle exceptions during visit
router.on('exception', (event) => {
    event.preventDefault();
    console.error('Inertia exception:', event.detail.exception);
});

Flash Error Display

tsx

// resources/js/Components/FlashMessages.tsx
import { usePage } from '@inertiajs/react';
import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';

interface SharedProps {
    flash: {
        success?: string;
        error?: string;
    };
}

export default function FlashMessages() {
    const { flash } = usePage<SharedProps>().props;
    const [visible, setVisible] = useState(false);

    useEffect(() => {
        if (flash.success || flash.error) {
            setVisible(true);
            const timer = setTimeout(() => setVisible(false), 5000);
            return () => clearTimeout(timer);
        }
    }, [flash]);

    if (!visible || (!flash.success && !flash.error)) return null;

    return (
        <div className="fixed top-4 right-4 z-50">
            {flash.success && (
                <div className="rounded-lg bg-green-50 p-4 border border-green-200">
                    <p className="text-sm text-green-800">{flash.success}</p>
                </div>
            )}
            {flash.error && (
                <div className="rounded-lg bg-red-50 p-4 border border-red-200">
                    <p className="text-sm text-red-800">{flash.error}</p>
                </div>
            )}
        </div>
    );
}

8. Logging Strategies

Channel Configuration

php

// config/logging.php
'channels' => [
    'stack' => [
        'driver' => 'stack',
        'channels' => ['daily', 'slack'],
        'ignore_exceptions' => false,
    ],

    'daily' => [
        'driver' => 'daily',
        'path' => storage_path('logs/laravel.log'),
        'level' => 'debug',
        'days' => 14,
    ],

    'orders' => [
        'driver' => 'daily',
        'path' => storage_path('logs/orders.log'),
        'level' => 'info',
        'days' => 30,
    ],

    'slack' => [
        'driver' => 'slack',
        'url' => env('LOG_SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL'),
        'level' => 'critical',
        'username' => 'Laravel Log',
    ],

    'stderr' => [
        'driver' => 'monolog',
        'level' => 'debug',
        'handler' => StreamHandler::class,
        'with' => ['stream' => 'php://stderr'],
    ],
],

Structured Logging with Context

php

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Log;

// Basic contextual logging
Log::info('Order created', [
    'order_id'  => $order->id,
    'user_id'   => $order->user_id,
    'total'     => $order->total,
]);

// Channel-specific logging
Log::channel('orders')->info('Order shipped', [
    'order_id'   => $order->id,
    'carrier'    => $carrier,
    'tracking'   => $trackingNumber,
]);

// Multi-channel logging
Log::stack(['daily', 'slack'])->critical('Payment gateway failure', [
    'gateway'    => 'stripe',
    'order_id'   => $order->id,
    'error'      => $exception->getMessage(),
]);

// Log with exception context
try {
    $this->processPayment($order);
} catch (PaymentFailedException $e) {
    Log::error('Payment processing failed', [
        'order_id'   => $order->id,
        'error_code' => $e->errorCode,
        'context'    => $e->context,
        'exception'  => $e,
    ]);
    throw $e;
}

Adding Global Log Context

php

// In a middleware or ServiceProvider:
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Log;

Log::shareContext([
    'request_id' => request()->header('X-Request-ID', (string) Str::uuid()),
    'user_id'    => auth()->id(),
    'ip'         => request()->ip(),
]);

9. Error Monitoring Integration

Sentry/Bugsnag Placeholder Pattern

php

// ~~monitoring: Replace these placeholders with your monitoring service

// In bootstrap/app.php:
->withExceptions(function (Exceptions $exceptions) {
    $exceptions->report(function (Throwable $e) {
        // ~~monitoring: Sentry integration
        // if (app()->bound('sentry')) {
        //     app('sentry')->captureException($e);
        // }

        // ~~monitoring: Bugsnag integration
        // if (app()->bound('bugsnag')) {
        //     app('bugsnag')->notifyException($e);
        // }
    });
})

tsx

// ~~monitoring: Frontend error tracking in React ErrorBoundary
componentDidCatch(error: Error, errorInfo: ErrorInfo): void {
    // ~~monitoring: Sentry browser integration
    // Sentry.captureException(error, { extra: { componentStack: errorInfo.componentStack } });

    // ~~monitoring: Bugsnag browser integration
    // Bugsnag.notify(error, (event) => {
    //     event.addMetadata('react', { componentStack: errorInfo.componentStack });
    // });
}

10. Testing Error Scenarios

Testing Domain Exception Throwing

php

use App\Exceptions\OrderNotCancellableException;
use App\Enums\OrderStatus;
use App\Models\Order;

it('throws when cancelling a shipped order', function () {
    $order = Order::factory()->shipped()->create();

    $this->service->cancel($order);
})->throws(OrderNotCancellableException::class);

it('includes order id in exception', function () {
    $order = Order::factory()->shipped()->create();

    try {
        $this->service->cancel($order);
        $this->fail('Expected exception was not thrown.');
    } catch (OrderNotCancellableException $e) {
        expect($e->orderId)->toBe($order->id);
        expect($e->getMessage())->toContain((string) $order->id);
    }
});

Testing API Error Responses

php

it('returns 404 for nonexistent order', function () {
    $this->actingAs(User::factory()->create())
        ->getJson('/api/orders/99999')
        ->assertNotFound()
        ->assertJson([
            'error'   => 'resource_not_found',
            'message' => 'The requested resource was not found.',
        ]);
});

it('returns 422 with validation errors', function () {
    $this->actingAs(User::factory()->create())
        ->postJson('/api/orders', [])
        ->assertUnprocessable()
        ->assertJsonValidationErrors(['customer_name', 'items']);
});

it('returns 403 for unauthorized access', function () {
    $order = Order::factory()->create();

    $this->actingAs(User::factory()->create())
        ->getJson("/api/orders/{$order->id}")
        ->assertForbidden();
});

Testing Transaction Rollback

php

it('rolls back on inventory failure', function () {
    $product = Product::factory()->create(['stock' => 1]);

    $dto = new OrderDTO(
        // ...order data with quantity: 10 (more than available)
    );

    expect(fn () => $this->service->create($dto))
        ->toThrow(InsufficientInventoryException::class);

    // Verify no order was created (transaction rolled back)
    $this->assertDatabaseCount('orders', 0);

    // Verify stock was not decremented
    expect($product->fresh()->stock)->toBe(1);
});

Testing React Error Boundary

tsx

import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
import { ErrorBoundary } from '@/Components/ErrorBoundary';

const ThrowingComponent = () => {
    throw new Error('Test error');
};

it('renders fallback on error', () => {
    const consoleSpy = vi.spyOn(console, 'error').mockImplementation(() => {});

    render(
        <ErrorBoundary fallback={<div>Something went wrong</div>}>
            <ThrowingComponent />
        </ErrorBoundary>
    );

    expect(screen.getByText('Something went wrong')).toBeInTheDocument();
    consoleSpy.mockRestore();
});

it('calls onError callback', () => {
    const consoleSpy = vi.spyOn(console, 'error').mockImplementation(() => {});
    const onError = vi.fn();

    render(
        <ErrorBoundary onError={onError}>
            <ThrowingComponent />
        </ErrorBoundary>
    );

    expect(onError).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
        expect.any(Error),
        expect.objectContaining({ componentStack: expect.any(String) })
    );
    consoleSpy.mockRestore();
});