--- title: Clean code tips - Error handling | daily.dev description: A walkthrough of clean error-handling practices in C#, comparing exceptions versus status codes, wrapping external library exceptions into custom types,... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/clean-code-tips---error-handling-8mruo81b7 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Clean code tips - Error handling | daily.dev og:description: A walkthrough of clean error-handling practices in C#, comparing exceptions versus status codes, wrapping external library exceptions into custom types,... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/clean-code-tips---error-handling-8mruo81b7 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/8mRUo81B7.png og:image:alt: Clean code tips - Error handling og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Clean code tips - Error handling **[Code4IT](https://daily.dev/sources/code4it)** · 14 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A walkthrough of clean error-handling practices in C#, comparing exceptions versus status codes, wrapping external library exceptions into custom types, defining exceptions with the caller in mind, avoiding null references by returning empty collections instead of null, and checking for null before calling functions. The piece ends with a progressive refactoring example that transforms a nested, flag-based file-read-and-upload method into a clean try-catch flow using a custom DataTransferException. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Should I use exceptions or status codes for error handling in C#? Exceptions are generally preferred for unexpected or exceptional cases, while status codes (as enums, not strings or numbers) work better for a known, manageable range of outcomes. Exceptions make the happy path easier to read and separate execution from error handling, but add try-catch overhead and can be misused to control normal flow if overused. _daily.dev surfaces practical C# design discussions for developers weighing exceptions against status codes._ ### Why should I wrap exceptions from a third-party library instead of catching them directly? Wrapping a third-party library's exceptions in a custom exception type (for example, wrapping an ExternalDependency class's errors into a single ResourceFileDownloadException) prevents every caller from needing to know and handle each specific library exception, and insulates client code from breaking changes if the library adds new exception types or gets replaced entirely. _Developers hardening their dependency boundaries can find more architecture patterns like this on daily.dev._ ### How can I avoid NullReferenceException issues in C# without littering my code with null checks? Avoid returning null from functions by returning empty strings or empty collections (such as Enumerable.Empty()) when that is an acceptable domain value, and avoid passing null into functions by validating inputs before the call rather than inside it. Consider the Null Object pattern for objects so calling code doesn't need to branch on null at all. _daily.dev is a good place to keep learning defensive coding patterns like null handling in C#._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [.NET Developer, Personal Blog](https://daily.dev/posts/net-developer-personal-blog-zxaphss3e) · Laszlo Deak · 13 upvotes · 0 comments - [Best Practices for Exceptions in ASP.NET Core](https://daily.dev/posts/best-practices-for-exceptions-in-asp-net-core-eews3z8nt) · Telerik · 20 upvotes · 2 comments - [Error Handling and Hiding Errors is Not the Same Thing](https://daily.dev/posts/error-handling-and-hiding-errors-is-not-the-same-thing-wuqe6lugx) · Atomic Spin · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#.net](https://daily.dev/tags/.net), [#c#](https://daily.dev/tags/c#) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/clean-code-tips---error-handling-8mruo81b7) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Clean code tips - Error handling","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/clean-code-tips---error-handling-8mruo81b7","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/clean-code-tips---error-handling-8mruo81b7"},"datePublished":"2026-10-04T13:07:31.393Z","dateModified":"2026-10-04T13:15:08.637Z","description":"A walkthrough of clean error-handling practices in C#, comparing exceptions versus status codes, wrapping external library exceptions into custom types,...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/ceca143f3779d56ee1d830b03ed86130?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/ceca143f3779d56ee1d830b03ed86130?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Code4IT","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Code4IT","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--OaaG4G10--/f_auto,q_auto/v1791119049/logos/code4it?_a=BAMAMicg0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/code4it"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/clean-code-tips---error-handling-8mruo81b7","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":".net,c#","timeRequired":"PT14M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Code4IT","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/code4it"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Clean code tips - Error handling"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/clean-code-tips---error-handling-8mruo81b7#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Should I use exceptions or status codes for error handling in C#?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Exceptions are generally preferred for unexpected or exceptional cases, while status codes (as enums, not strings or numbers) work better for a known, manageable range of outcomes. 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