Error Codes vs Assertions

Developers should learn and use error codes to build robust applications that can detect, report, and recover from failures effectively, improving user experience and maintainability meets developers should use assertions during development and testing to validate internal logic, preconditions, postconditions, and invariants, which helps identify bugs quickly and ensures code behaves as intended. Here's our take.

Error Codes

Nice Pick

Developers should learn and use error codes to build robust applications that can detect, report, and recover from failures effectively, improving user experience and maintainability

Pros

• Specific use cases include handling HTTP status codes in web APIs (e
• Related to: exception-handling, debugging

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Assertions

Developers should use assertions during development and testing to validate internal logic, preconditions, postconditions, and invariants, which helps identify bugs quickly and ensures code behaves as intended

Pros

• They are particularly useful in unit testing, debugging complex algorithms, and enforcing contracts in software design, but should be avoided in production code for performance and security reasons, as they can be disabled in many environments
• Related to: unit-testing, debugging

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Error Codes if: You want specific use cases include handling http status codes in web apis (e and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Assertions if: You prioritize they are particularly useful in unit testing, debugging complex algorithms, and enforcing contracts in software design, but should be avoided in production code for performance and security reasons, as they can be disabled in many environments over what Error Codes offers.

The Bottom Line

Error Codes wins

Developers should learn and use error codes to build robust applications that can detect, report, and recover from failures effectively, improving user experience and maintainability