Should I use .catch() or try/catch?

Use try/catch with async/await (cleaner, easier to read). Use .catch() with Promise chains (.then()). Don't mix: pick one style per function.

Does fetch reject on 404 or 500 errors?

No! fetch only rejects on network failures (no internet, DNS error). HTTP errors (404, 500) are successful responses: you must check res.ok or res.status manually and throw if needed.

How do I handle errors in Promise.all?

Promise.all rejects if ANY promise rejects. Use Promise.allSettled if you want all results regardless of failures. Or wrap individual promises in try/catch to handle them independently.

Should I always re-throw errors?

Re-throw when you can't meaningfully handle the error at this level. Catch and handle when you can: show UI, use fallback, retry. The worst thing is catching an error and silently ignoring it.

JavaScript Async Error Handling

Things go wrong. Networks fail. APIs break. Handle it gracefully.

Module 7 · Async Programming

Browsers and servers spend most of their time waiting: for network responses, timers, and user input. Async JavaScript lets your program stay responsive while work happens in the background using callbacks, Promises, and async/await.

Learn Async Error Handling in JavaScript: covering Promise Errors, try/catch + async, Error Propagation, Recovery Patterns with interactive visual examples and step-by-step explanations.

About this module

Synchronous code runs one line at a time. But real applications wait for network requests, file reads, and timers. Async JavaScript lets your program keep running while that work happens in the background: without freezing the UI.

This module covers the full async story: callbacks, Promises, async/await, and the Fetch API. Visual timelines show when tasks enter the queue, when they resolve, and why async/await is syntactic sugar over Promises, not magic.

Why this matters

Understanding async error handling is essential for every JavaScript developer. It shows up in frontend UI code, backend APIs, and framework internals, and getting it wrong leads to bugs that are hard to trace. This chapter builds intuition with visuals so the behavior sticks.

Key topics covered

Promise Errors
try/catch + async
Error Propagation
Recovery Patterns
Global Handlers

Where you'll use it

Building interactive web applications with async error handling
Processing and transforming data in frontend and backend code
Writing cleaner, more maintainable JavaScript modules
Debugging and reviewing code during development

Promise Errors

Rejections and .catch(): the Promise way to handle errors.

// A Promise can reject:
const promise = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
  reject(new Error("Something went wrong"));
});

// Or throw inside an executor:
const promise2 = new Promise(() => {
  throw new Error("Oops"); // automatically rejects
});

Promises reject when: you call reject(), an error is thrown inside the executor, or a .then() callback throws.

1 / 3

try/catch + async

The cleanest way to handle async errors.

async function loadUserData(userId) {
  try {
    const res = await fetch(`/api/users/${userId}`);
    
    // Network succeeded but HTTP error:
    if (!res.ok) {
      throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}: ${res.statusText}`);
    }
    
    const user = await res.json();
    return user;
    
  } catch (error) {
    // Catches: network errors, HTTP errors, JSON errors
    if (error.name === "TypeError") {
      console.error("Network error:", error.message);
    } else {
      console.error("Request failed:", error.message);
    }
    return null;
    
  } finally {
    // Always runs: success or failure:
    hideLoadingSpinner();
  }
}

try

happy path

catch

error path

finally

always runs

Error Propagation

Errors bubble up through async call chains.

// Errors propagate UP the call chain:
async function getUser(id) {
  const res = await fetch(`/api/users/${id}`);
  if (!res.ok) throw new Error("User not found");
  return res.json();
}

async function getUserPosts(userId) {
  const user = await getUser(userId); // can throw!
  const res = await fetch(`/api/posts/${user.id}`);
  return res.json();
}

async function displayDashboard(userId) {
  try {
    const posts = await getUserPosts(userId);
    render(posts);
  } catch (error) {
    // Catches errors from getUser OR getUserPosts
    showError(error.message);
  }
}

💡 You don't need try/catch in every function. Let errors propagate and catch them at the level where you can handle them meaningfully (show UI, retry, fallback).

Recovery Patterns

Graceful degradation when things fail.

// Pattern 1: Fallback value
async function getConfig() {
  try {
    const res = await fetch("/api/config");
    return await res.json();
  } catch {
    return { theme: "light", lang: "en" }; // defaults
  }
}

// Pattern 2: Retry logic
async function fetchWithRetry(url, attempts = 3) {
  for (let i = 0; i < attempts; i++) {
    try {
      const res = await fetch(url);
      if (res.ok) return await res.json();
      throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}`);
    } catch (err) {
      if (i === attempts - 1) throw err; // give up
      await delay(1000 * 2 ** i); // exponential backoff
    }
  }
}

// Pattern 3: Partial failure (load what you can)
async function loadDashboard() {
  const [users, posts, stats] = await Promise.allSettled([
    fetchUsers(),
    fetchPosts(),
    fetchStats()
  ]);
  
  return {
    users: users.status === "fulfilled" ? users.value : [],
    posts: posts.status === "fulfilled" ? posts.value : [],
    stats: stats.status === "fulfilled" ? stats.value : null
  };
}

Global Handlers

Catch unhandled errors as a safety net.

// Catch unhandled promise rejections (browser):
window.addEventListener("unhandledrejection", (event) => {
  console.error("Unhandled rejection:", event.reason);
  event.preventDefault(); // prevent default logging
  // Send to error tracking service:
  reportError(event.reason);
});

// Node.js:
process.on("unhandledRejection", (reason, promise) => {
  console.error("Unhandled:", reason);
});

// These are SAFETY NETS, not replacements for
// proper error handling in your code!

⚠️ Global handlers are for catching bugs you missed, not for normal error handling. Always use try/catch or .catch() for expected failures.

FAQ

Common questions about async error handling.

// A Promise can reject: const promise = new Promise((resolve, reject) => { reject(new Error("Something went wrong")); }); // Or throw inside an executor: const promise2 = new Promise(() => { throw new Error("Oops"); // automatically rejects });

async function loadUserData(userId) { try { const res = await fetch(`/api/users/${userId}`); // Network succeeded but HTTP error: if (!res.ok) { throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}: ${res.statusText}`); } const user = await res.json(); return user; } catch (error) { // Catches: network errors, HTTP errors, JSON errors if (error.name === "TypeError") { console.error("Network error:", error.message); } else { console.error("Request failed:", error.message); } return null; } finally { // Always runs: success or failure: hideLoadingSpinner(); } }

// Errors propagate UP the call chain: async function getUser(id) { const res = await fetch(`/api/users/${id}`); if (!res.ok) throw new Error("User not found"); return res.json(); } async function getUserPosts(userId) { const user = await getUser(userId); // can throw! const res = await fetch(`/api/posts/${user.id}`); return res.json(); } async function displayDashboard(userId) { try { const posts = await getUserPosts(userId); render(posts); } catch (error) { // Catches errors from getUser OR getUserPosts showError(error.message); } }

// Pattern 1: Fallback value async function getConfig() { try { const res = await fetch("/api/config"); return await res.json(); } catch { return { theme: "light", lang: "en" }; // defaults } } // Pattern 2: Retry logic async function fetchWithRetry(url, attempts = 3) { for (let i = 0; i < attempts; i++) { try { const res = await fetch(url); if (res.ok) return await res.json(); throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}`); } catch (err) { if (i === attempts - 1) throw err; // give up await delay(1000 * 2 ** i); // exponential backoff } } } // Pattern 3: Partial failure (load what you can) async function loadDashboard() { const [users, posts, stats] = await Promise.allSettled([ fetchUsers(), fetchPosts(), fetchStats() ]); return { users: users.status === "fulfilled" ? users.value : [], posts: posts.status === "fulfilled" ? posts.value : [], stats: stats.status === "fulfilled" ? stats.value : null }; }

// Catch unhandled promise rejections (browser): window.addEventListener("unhandledrejection", (event) => { console.error("Unhandled rejection:", event.reason); event.preventDefault(); // prevent default logging // Send to error tracking service: reportError(event.reason); }); // Node.js: process.on("unhandledRejection", (reason, promise) => { console.error("Unhandled:", reason); }); // These are SAFETY NETS, not replacements for // proper error handling in your code!

About this chapter

About this module

Why this matters

Key topics covered

Where you'll use it

Promise Errors

try/catch + async

Error Propagation

Recovery Patterns

Global Handlers

FAQ

About this chapter

About this module

Why this matters

Key topics covered

Where you'll use it

Promise Errors

try/catch + async

Error Propagation

Recovery Patterns

Global Handlers

FAQ