orion-error

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Structured error governance for large Rust codebases.

orion-error is not just an error type library.

It is a governance framework for large Rust services and multi-layer systems. It helps teams move from ad-hoc strings and mixed local conventions to one shared error model for:

• semantic modeling
• runtime propagation
• context attachment
• cross-layer conversion
• boundary-facing output for HTTP / RPC / CLI / logs

Core building blocks:

• stable business identities via #[derive(OrionError)]
• one runtime carrier: StructError<R>
• explicit first-entry conversion with source_err(...)
• unified error entry point: .source_err(...)` for all source types
• report and exposure helpers for service boundaries

Why It Is Useful

Use this crate when you want:

• one shared error language across service / repo / adapter / protocol layers
• clear business error enums instead of scattered strings
• one consistent way to attach detail, source, and operation context
• stable machine-facing identity for HTTP / RPC / log / CLI boundaries
• controlled bridging to std::error::Error only where needed
• a system that scales better than local Result<T, String> habits

If you only need a tiny local enum inside one module, thiserror alone may be enough. If your service has layers, external boundaries, and structured error output, orion-error is the better fit.

In short:

• thiserror is a good local modeling tool
• orion-error is for project-wide error governance

Install

[dependencies]
orion-error = "0.8"

Default features include derive and log — add a feature only when you need it.

Quick Start

use derive_more::From;
use orion_error::{
    prelude::*,
    runtime::OperationContext,
};

#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, From, OrionError)]
enum AppReason {
    #[orion_error(identity = "biz.invalid_request")]
    InvalidRequest,
    #[orion_error(transparent)]
    General(UnifiedReason),
}

fn load_config(path: &str) -> Result<String, StructError<AppReason>> {
    let ctx = OperationContext::doing("load_config")
        .with_field("path", path);

    std::fs::read_to_string(path)
        .source_err(AppReason::system_error(), "read config failed")
        .doing("read file")
        .with_context(&ctx)
}

What happens here:

• AppReason is your domain reason enum
• StructError<AppReason> is the runtime error carrier
• .source_err(...)` converts a normal Rust error into the structured system
• doing(...) and with_context(...) add operation context

For new code, treat doing(...) as the standard operation verb.

The 4 APIs To Learn First

1. #[derive(OrionError)] Define stable business-facing reason enums.
2. .source_err(reason, detail)Use when an error enters the structured system — works for both rawstd::error::Errorand already-structuredStructError<_>` sources.
3. conv_err() Use when the upstream value is already StructError<R1> and you only remap reason type to StructError<R2>.
4. exposure(&policy) Use at service boundaries to project the error into HTTP/RPC/CLI/log output.

Typical Flow

raw std error ──→.source_err(...) ──→ first entry into structured system
                                          │
                                    conv_err()
                                (reason remap)
                                          │
                  report / exposure

This is the important shift:

• lower layers do not invent random output shapes
• middle layers do not lose source and context
• boundary layers do not re-interpret raw strings
• the whole system shares one governance model

Service Boundary Helpers

When you reach HTTP/RPC/log/CLI boundaries, these are the main entry points:

• report() for human-oriented diagnostics
• identity_snapshot() for stable identity inspection
• exposure(...) with to_http_error_json(), to_cli_error_json(), to_log_error_json(), to_rpc_error_json()

Current protocol naming is Exposure*, not ErrorPolicy*.

That matters because large systems usually fail at the boundary:

• one team exposes too much detail
• another team hides everything
• every protocol builds its own error schema

orion-error gives those boundaries one consistent projection model.

Third-Party Error Types

source_err supports built-in types (io::Error, serde_json::Error, anyhow::Error, toml::Error) and custom types via opt-in:

use orion_error::interop::{raw_source, RawStdError};
use orion_error::prelude::*;

#[derive(Debug)]
struct MyError;

impl std::fmt::Display for MyError {
    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
        write!(f, "my custom error")
    }
}

impl std::error::Error for MyError {}

// Step 1: declare it as a raw source
impl RawStdError for MyError {}

// Step 2: wrap + convert
let result: Result<(), MyError> = Err(MyError);
let err = result
    .map_err(raw_source)
    .source_err(UnifiedReason::system_error(), "my operation failed")
    .unwrap_err();

assert_eq!(err.source_ref().unwrap().to_string(), "my custom error");

Why opt-in instead of blanket E: StdError? A blanket impl would silently swallow StructError<_> values as unstructured sources, losing their structured identity and context. The opt-in ensures you explicitly choose which types enter as unstructured sources versus structured ones.

Newtype wrapper for foreign types. If the error type comes from a dependency and you cannot implement RawStdError directly (orphan rule), use a newtype:

use orion_error::interop::{raw_source, RawStdError};
use orion_error::prelude::*;

#[derive(Debug)]
struct ForeignError;

impl std::fmt::Display for ForeignError {
    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
        write!(f, "foreign failure")
    }
}
impl std::error::Error for ForeignError {}

#[derive(Debug)]
struct WrappedError(ForeignError);

impl std::fmt::Display for WrappedError {
    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
        std::fmt::Display::fmt(&self.0, f)
    }
}
impl std::error::Error for WrappedError {}
impl RawStdError for WrappedError {}

// Usage
let result: Result<(), WrappedError> = Err(WrappedError(ForeignError));
let err = result
    .map_err(raw_source)
    .source_err(UnifiedReason::system_error(), "api call failed")
    .unwrap_err();

assert_eq!(err.source_ref().unwrap().to_string(), "foreign failure");

Standard Error Interop

StructError<R> no longer directly implements std::error::Error.

Use the explicit interop APIs when you need that ecosystem:

use orion_error::{StructError, UnifiedReason};

let borrowed_err = StructError::from(UnifiedReason::system_error());
let owned_err = StructError::from(UnifiedReason::system_error());
let boxed_err = StructError::from(UnifiedReason::system_error());

let borrowed_std = borrowed_err.as_std();
let owned_std = owned_err.into_std();
let boxed_std = boxed_err.into_boxed_std();

assert!(std::error::Error::source(&borrowed_std).is_none());
assert!(std::error::Error::source(&owned_std).is_none());
assert!(std::error::Error::source(boxed_std.as_ref()).is_none());

Recommended Imports

For new code, start with:

use orion_error::prelude::*;

Treat this as the default for business code. Only switch to layered imports when the module is explicitly modeling architecture boundaries, protocol adapters, or test/schema checks.

Then add only the layered imports you need, for example:

• orion_error::runtime::OperationContext
• orion_error::runtime::source::*
• orion_error::report::*
• orion_error::protocol::*

This keeps normal application code on one predictable entry path while still letting larger codebases keep clear module boundaries where that extra precision is useful.

Import Strategy

Three tiers:

Application code (default)

use orion_error::prelude::*;
use orion_error::runtime::OperationContext;

Architecture boundaries — use layered imports to make module coupling explicit.

// Domain layer
use orion_error::prelude::*;
use orion_error::reason::{ErrorCategory, ErrorIdentityProvider};

// Service / adapter layer — struct error is your carrier
use orion_error::{prelude::*, conversion::*};

// Protocol / boundary layer — output projection only
use orion_error::protocol::*;
use orion_error::report::{DiagnosticReport, RedactPolicy};
use orion_error::protocol::*;

// Interop — when you must enter std::error::Error ecosystem
use orion_error::interop::*;

Test / migration

use orion_error::dev::prelude::*;
use orion_error::dev::testing::*;

Error Flow Paths

There are exactly four ways a StructError enters or moves through your system:

raw std error / StructError ──→.source_err(reason, detail) ──→ first entry
                                                                    │
                                                              conv_err()
                                                          (reason remap)
                                                                    │
                                          report / exposure

**1. .source_err(reason, detail)** — unified entry point. Works for both raw std::error::Errorand already-structuredStructError` sources. Use this whenever an error enters your system.

2. conv_err() — cross-layer conversion preserving semantics. The upstream error is already StructError<R1>; you only want to map the reason type to StructError<R2> via From. All detail, context, source, and metadata survive.

3. as_std() / into_std() / into_dyn_std() — exit point. Bridges the structured error into the std::error::Error ecosystem for interop or legacy interfaces. These are explicit; StructError<T> does not implement StdError directly.

Optional Features

Add features only when your project needs them:

[dependencies]
orion-error = { version = "0.8", features = ["serde"] }       # Serialize/Deserialize
orion-error = { version = "0.8", features = ["serde_json"] }  # Protocol JSON projections
orion-error = { version = "0.8", features = ["tracing"] }     # Tracing integration
orion-error = { version = "0.8", features = ["anyhow"] }      # anyhow::Error interop
orion-error = { version = "0.8", features = ["toml"] }        # toml::Error interop

serde, serde_json, tracing, anyhow, toml are optional. The default (derive + log) covers the core path.

Try It

cargo test --all-features -- --test-threads=1
cargo run --example order_case
cargo run --example logging_example --features log

Learn More

• 中文 README
• Changelog
• English docs
• 中文文档
• Tutorial
• Protocol Contract
• thiserror Comparison
• orion-error-derive README

Maintainers

If publishing this crate family:

1. publish orion-error-derive
2. wait for crates.io index propagation
3. publish orion-error