SOERROR

SOERROR is a term used in software development to denote a standardized error payload designed for machine readability and cross-system interoperability. It refers to a compact, structured representation of an error event that can be transmitted in API responses, logged, or propagated through service calls.

A typical SOERROR payload includes a small set of fields that convey essential failure information. Common elements are a code (often a short string like SO####), a human-readable message, severity level, source or origin service, timestamp, and an optional details object or stack trace. Many implementations also include a correlation_id to enable tracing across distributed components.

Encoding is usually language-agnostic, with JSON being a common format, though some ecosystems use equivalent structs in typed languages. An example JSON payload: {"code":"SO1001","message":"Invalid input","severity":"error","source":"auth-service","timestamp":"2025-12-17T14:20:00Z","correlation_id":"abc-123","details":{"field":"email"}}.

Rationale and usage: The SOERROR approach aims to standardize error reporting to facilitate automated handling, centralized logging, alerting, and user-facing translation. It supports consistent parsing by clients and back-end services, enabling more reliable error routing and monitoring across heterogeneous systems.

Limitations and considerations: The lack of an official standard means implementations vary, requiring careful taxonomy and secure handling of detailed internal information in public responses. Adoption depends on project conventions and tooling.

See also: Error handling, API error responses, JSON, Correlation IDs, Logging and observability.