Improve Error Handling and Logging of the Server

[ajaynegi45]

Problem Overview

Currently, the server lacks a unified, efficient mechanism to handle exceptions, log meaningful information, and track requests. This creates challenges in debugging, performance diagnostics, and overall stability. To make the server industry-ready, it's crucial to:

• Improve error handling so that the server returns appropriate and detailed error messages.
• Implement a comprehensive logging system to trace issues effectively.
• Introduce request tracing to enhance diagnostic capabilities in distributed environments.

Why is this Important?:

1. Centralized Exception Handling: A centralized mechanism for handling exceptions can ensure that all parts of the server follow a consistent pattern, making error management more straightforward and maintainable. Exceptions like HttpParsingException and BadHttpVersionException should provide clear messages to users and be mapped to correct HTTP status codes.

2. Logging Framework: Implementing a robust logging framework (e.g., Log4j, SLF4J) allows for multi-level logging (info, warn, error, debug). This helps developers trace issues more effectively during both development and production stages.

3. Request Tracing: Adding unique request IDs for tracing individual requests can improve the server's ability to diagnose performance issues, track errors across distributed systems, and debug complex interactions.

Solution

We are looking for contributors to improve the error handling and logging of the server. However, before starting the implementation, you must first provide a detailed plan on how you will approach this task. Below are the key areas to focus on:

1. Centralized Exception Handling

• Implement a unified error-handling mechanism across the server. This can be done by creating a global exception handler or using middleware that catches and processes all exceptions.
• Ensure HttpParsingException and BadHttpVersionException return descriptive error messages along with proper HTTP status codes (e.g., 400 for bad request, 505 for HTTP version not supported).
• All exceptions should be logged for future diagnostics and troubleshooting.
• Consider creating custom exceptions where necessary for better clarity.

2. Logging Framework Integration

• Integrate a logging framework like Log4j or SLF4J.
• Add multiple logging levels: info, warn, error, debug.
  • Info: Log general server events, such as server start, stop, and configuration loading.
  • Warn: Log non-critical issues, such as deprecated features or recoverable errors.
  • Error: Log errors and exceptions, particularly ones that affect user functionality.
  • Debug: Log detailed information useful for debugging, like request/response headers or detailed stack traces.
• Log critical server errors to a separate file or database for long-term tracking.
• Consider implementing log rotation and log management for large-scale deployments.

3. Request Tracing

• Implement a unique request ID for each incoming request. This can be done by generating a UUID and attaching it to each request/response cycle.
• Include the request ID in all logs related to that request, ensuring a complete trail of events (errors, warnings, info) for every request.
• If possible, extend tracing capabilities across distributed systems (for example, passing the request ID to downstream services if applicable).

Additional Guidelines:

1. Before making any contributions, please read the README.md file carefully to understand the overall goals and purpose of the project. This will provide clarity on our mission and give context to the improvements you’ll be making.
2. Review the CONTRIBUTING.md file for detailed guidelines on how to structure your code, submit pull requests, and adhere to our coding standards. This is especially important for new contributors.
3. Make sure to provide tests for all new features and ensure that existing tests continue to pass.
4. Your pull request should include sufficient comments and documentation on how the logging framework and error-handling mechanisms work.

What We Expect from You:

1. Implementation Plan: Before you start coding, submit a comment here detailing how you plan to implement centralized exception handling, logging, and request tracing. Be as detailed as possible, explaining the architecture, classes, and any external libraries or tools you will use. This will allow us to review your approach and give feedback.

2. Focus on Quality: Ensure the code is modular, easy to understand, and well-documented. Follow best practices for error handling and logging in distributed systems.

3. Test Coverage: Write unit and integration tests that cover the new features. Testing should include scenarios where errors are handled, logs are generated, and tracing works as expected.

4. Commit History: Make sure to follow our contribution guidelines for a clean commit history. Break down your work into logical commits with clear commit messages.

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What’s Next?:

• Comment below with your implementation plan for improving error handling and logging.
• Once approved, you can start working on the implementation.
• Reach out if you need any clarification or assistance during the development process.

Thank you for contributing to the project! We’re excited to see your ideas on how to make the server more robust and scalable.