How do getResponse() and getStatus() work on an HttpException and what can getResponse() return?

Q: How do getResponse() and getStatus() work on an HttpException and what can getResponse() return?

// Thrown with a string — getResponse() returns a string throw new NotFoundException('User not found'); exception.getResponse(); // 'User not found' // Thrown with an object — getResponse() returns that object throw new NotFoundException({ message: 'User not found', userId: 42 }); exception.getResponse(); // { message: 'User not found', userId: 42 } // Thrown with no args — getResponse() returns a default object new NotFoundException(); exception.getResponse(); // { statusCode: 404, message: 'Not Found', error: 'Not Found' } // Safe extraction inside a filter const res = exception.getResponse(); const message = typeof res === 'string' ? res : (res as any).message ?? 'An error occurred'; Always guard with typeof res === 'string' before accessing .message — both shapes are valid. getStatus() is always a number — safe to use directly without type checking. Omitting the typeof check is the most common bug in custom exception filters. When the body is an object, access nested fields like (body as any).message or use optional chaining. exception.message is always a string — a safe alternative to getResponse() for simple use cases.

Difficulty: 5/10

HttpException, error handling, response payload

getStatus() always returns a number — the HTTP status code. getResponse() returns either a string or an object depending on how the exception was constructed. When thrown with a string message it returns that string. When thrown with an object it returns that object. When thrown with no arguments it returns a default object with statusCode, message, and error fields.

getResponse() return shapes

Important rules when using getResponse():

1
Always guard with typeof res === 'string' before accessing .message — both shapes are valid.
2
getStatus() is always a number — safe to use directly without type checking.

How do getResponse() and getStatus() work on an HttpException and what can getResponse() return?

Difficulty: 5/10

HttpException, error handling, response payload

getStatus() always returns a number — the HTTP status code. getResponse() returns either a string or an object depending on how the exception was constructed. When thrown with a string message it returns that string. When thrown with an object it returns that object. When thrown with no arguments it returns a default object with statusCode, message, and error fields.

getResponse() return shapes

Important rules when using getResponse():

1
Always guard with typeof res === 'string' before accessing .message — both shapes are valid.
2
getStatus() is always a number — safe to use directly without type checking.

How do getResponse() and getStatus() work on an HttpException and what can getResponse() return?

How do getResponse() and getStatus() work on an HttpException and what can getResponse() return?

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