Validation error response formatting in Express - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to send a JSON error response with status 400.

Express

res.status(400).json({ error: [1] });

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A"Invalid input"

BInvalid input

C400

Derror

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Forgetting quotes around the error message string.

Passing a number instead of a string as the error message.

The error message must be a string inside quotes to be valid JSON.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to extract validation errors from the request and send them in the response.

Express

const errors = req.validationErrors();
if (errors) {
  return res.status(422).json({ errors: [1] });
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Areq.errors

Berror

Cerrors

DvalidationErrors

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using a wrong variable name that does not exist.

Sending a single error instead of the whole errors array.

The variable errors holds the validation errors and should be sent in the response.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to properly format the validation error response.

Express

res.status(400).json({ message: [1] });

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aerror

B"Validation failed"

Cerrors.array()

Derrors

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Passing an array where a string is expected.

Using a variable that is not defined.

The message key should have a string describing the error, not the errors array.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to send a detailed validation error response with status and errors array.

Express

res.status([1]).json({ status: [2], errors: errors.array() });

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A422

B400

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 400 instead of 422 for validation errors.

Mismatch between HTTP status and JSON status field.

The HTTP status code 422 means Unprocessable Entity, suitable for validation errors.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a middleware that checks validation results and sends errors if any.

Express

const { validationResult } = require('express-validator');

function validate(req, res, next) {
  const errors = validationResult(req);
  if (!errors.isEmpty()) {
    return res.status([1]).json({
      [2]: [3]
    });
  }
  next();
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A400

Berrors

Cerrors.array()

D422

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using status 400 instead of 422.

Sending the errors object directly instead of errors.array().

Use status 422 for validation errors, and send the errors array under the key 'errors'.

Practice

1. What HTTP status code is typically used to indicate validation errors in an Express API response?

easy

A. 400 Bad Request

B. 200 OK

C. 500 Internal Server Error

D. 404 Not Found

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand HTTP status codes for client errors

   Validation errors occur when the client sends bad data, so a 4xx code is appropriate.

2. Step 2: Identify the specific code for bad input

   400 Bad Request is the standard code for invalid input from the client.

3. Final Answer:

   400 Bad Request -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Validation errors use 400 status [OK]

Hint: Validation errors always use 400 status code [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 200 OK for validation errors
• Confusing 500 Internal Server Error with validation errors
• Using 404 Not Found for input mistakes

2. Which of the following is the correct way to send a JSON validation error response in Express?

easy

A. res.status(400).send('Validation failed')

B. res.json({ error: 'Validation error' })

C. res.status(400).json({ errors: [{ msg: 'Invalid input' }] })

D. res.sendStatus(200)

Solution

1. Step 1: Use status 400 for validation errors

   The response must have status 400 to indicate a client error.

2. Step 2: Format the response as JSON with an errors array

   Returning an object with an errors array containing message objects is the standard pattern.

3. Final Answer:

   res.status(400).json({ errors: [{ msg: 'Invalid input' }] }) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use res.status(400).json with errors array [OK]

Hint: Use res.status(400).json({ errors: [...] }) for validation errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Sending plain text instead of JSON
• Omitting the status code
• Using 200 status for errors

3. Given this Express route snippet, what will be the JSON response if the input validation fails?

app.post('/user', (req, res) => {
  const errors = [];
  if (!req.body.email) errors.push({ msg: 'Email is required' });
  if (errors.length > 0) {
    return res.status(400).json({ errors });
  }
  res.send('User created');
});

medium

A. {"error":"Email missing"} with status 400

B. {"errors":[{"msg":"Email is required"}]} with status 400

C. "User created" with status 200

D. Empty response with status 400

Solution

1. Step 1: Check validation logic for missing email

   If email is missing, an error object with msg 'Email is required' is added to errors array.

2. Step 2: Return JSON with errors array and status 400

   Since errors array is not empty, the response sends status 400 and JSON containing errors array.

3. Final Answer:

   {"errors":[{"msg":"Email is required"}]} with status 400 -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Validation fails -> 400 + errors array JSON [OK]

Hint: Errors array with messages sent with 400 status [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Returning success message despite errors
• Wrong JSON key like 'error' instead of 'errors'
• Not setting status 400

4. Identify the bug in this Express validation error response code:

if (!req.body.name) {
  res.json({ errors: [{ msg: 'Name is required' }] });
  res.status(400);
}

medium

A. Status code must be set before sending response

B. Response should use res.send instead of res.json

C. Errors array should be a string, not an object

D. No bug, code is correct

Solution

1. Step 1: Check order of status and response methods

   res.status(400) must be called before sending the response to set status properly.

2. Step 2: Identify that res.json sends response immediately

   Calling res.json first sends the response with default status 200, so status(400) after has no effect.

3. Final Answer:

   Status code must be set before sending response -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Set status before res.json/send [OK]

Hint: Call res.status before res.json/send [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Setting status after sending response
• Using res.send instead of res.json (not a bug but less clear)
• Not sending any status code

5. You want to send multiple validation errors in a consistent format in Express. Which code snippet correctly formats and sends these errors with HTTP 400 status?

const errors = [
  { field: 'email', message: 'Invalid email' },
  { field: 'password', message: 'Password too short' }
];
// What is the correct response code?

hard

A. res.status(400).json({ errorMessages: errors })

B. res.json({ errors })

C. res.status(200).json({ errors })

D. res.status(400).json({ errors: errors.map(e => ({ msg: e.message, param: e.field })) })

Solution

1. Step 1: Map errors to standard format with msg and param keys

   Express validation errors usually have 'msg' for message and 'param' for field name.

2. Step 2: Send response with status 400 and JSON containing errors array

   Use res.status(400).json(...) to send proper status and formatted errors.

3. Final Answer:

   res.status(400).json({ errors: errors.map(e => ({ msg: e.message, param: e.field })) }) -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Map errors to {msg, param} and send with 400 status [OK]

Hint: Map errors to {msg, param} and send with status 400 [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Sending errors without mapping keys
• Using 200 status for errors
• Using wrong JSON key like errorMessages