rust-errors

Rust error handling architecture differs by context: library crates need typed enums with thiserror for structured error types, while applications use anyhow for flexible context propagation and domain-level strategies like retry and backoff.

Use thiserror when defining structured error types for library crates that require specific error categories and From conversions. Use anyhow in application binaries when you need flexible context propagation across layers without strict error taxonomy.

Classify Rust errors by category—validation, transient, permanent, and internal—using typed enums. This taxonomy guides domain-level strategies such as retry, backoff, and circuit breakers for transient errors while failing fast on permanent ones.

Preserve Rust error context across architectural layers by applying anyhow::Context to add domain-specific information to Result types, ensuring errors carry meaningful context as they propagate through validation and internal processing boundaries.

Yes, domain-level retry and backoff strategies build on Rust Result and Option by classifying errors as transient before retrying, implementing exponential backoff for transient failures, and returning permanent errors immediately without retry attempts.

Separate user-facing Rust errors from internal errors by creating distinct error taxonomy categories within typed enums, ensuring internal errors contain debug context while user-facing errors expose clear, safe messages through proper From conversions.