serialize-error-cjs

Serialize/deserialize an error into a plain object in commonjs

Loosely based on serialize-error, but with support for commonjs projects.

Useful if you for example need to JSON.stringify() or process.send() the error.

Install

npm install serialize-error-cjs

Usage

import {serializeError, deserializeError} from 'serialize-error-cjs';

const error = new Error('🦄');

console.log(error);
//=> [Error: 🦄]

const serialized = serializeError(error);

console.log(serialized);
//=> {name: 'Error', message: '🦄', stack: 'Error: 🦄\n    at Object.<anonymous> …'}

const deserialized = deserializeError(serialized);

console.log(deserialized);
//=> [Error: 🦄]

Error constructors

When a serialized error with a known name is encountered, it will be deserialized using the corresponding error constructor, while unknown error names will be deserialized as regular errors:

import {deserializeError} from 'serialize-error';

const known = deserializeError({
    name: 'TypeError',
    message: '🦄'
});

console.log(known);
//=> [TypeError: 🦄] <-- Still a TypeError

const unknown = deserializeError({
    name: 'TooManyCooksError',
    message: '🦄'
});

console.log(unknown);
//=> [Error: 🦄] <-- Just a regular Error

The list of known errors can be extended globally. This also works if serialize-error-cjs is a sub-dependency that's not used directly.

import {errorConstructors} from 'serialize-error-cjs';
import {MyCustomError} from './errors.js'

errorConstructors.set('MyCustomError', MyCustomError)

Warning: Only simple and standard error constructors are supported, like new MyCustomError(message). If your error constructor requires a second parameter or does not accept a string as first parameter, adding it to this map will break the deserialization.

API

serializeError(value)

Serialize an Error object into a plain object.

• Custom properties NOT are preserved.
• Non-enumerable properties are kept non-enumerable (name, message, stack).
• Circular references are NOT handled.

value

Type: Error

deserializeError(value)

Deserialize a plain object or any value into an Error object.

• All passed values are interpreted as errors
• Custom properties are NOT preserved
• Non-enumerable properties are kept non-enumerable (name, message, stack, cause)
• Circular references are NOT handled

value

Type: {message: string} | unknown