Sentry - Error Capturing & Context

Capture errors and enrich them with context for better debugging.

Capturing Errors

Manual Error Capture

import * as Sentry from "@sentry/browser";

try {
  riskyOperation();
} catch (error) {
  Sentry.captureException(error);
}

Capture with Extra Context

Sentry.captureException(error, {
  tags: {
    section: "checkout",
    feature: "payment",
  },
  extra: {
    orderId: order.id,
    cartItems: cart.items.length,
  },
  level: "error",
});

Capture Messages

Sentry.captureMessage("User exceeded rate limit", {
  level: "warning",
  tags: { userId: user.id },
});

Adding Context

User Context

Sentry.setUser({
  id: user.id,
  email: user.email,
  username: user.username,
  ip_address: "{{auto}}",
});

// Clear on logout
Sentry.setUser(null);

Tags

// Global tags
Sentry.setTag("app.version", "1.2.3");
Sentry.setTag("tenant", customer.tenantId);

// Per-event tags
Sentry.captureException(error, {
  tags: { operation: "database_query" },
});

Extra Data

Sentry.setExtra("orderDetails", {
  items: order.items,
  total: order.total,
});

Context Objects

Sentry.setContext("order", {
  id: order.id,
  status: order.status,
  items: order.items.length,
});

Sentry.setContext("customer", {
  plan: customer.plan,
  region: customer.region,
});

Breadcrumbs

Automatic Breadcrumbs

// Most integrations add breadcrumbs automatically
// Console, fetch, XHR, DOM events, navigation

Manual Breadcrumbs

Sentry.addBreadcrumb({
  category: "auth",
  message: "User logged in",
  level: "info",
  data: {
    userId: user.id,
    method: "oauth",
  },
});

Configure Breadcrumbs

Sentry.init({
  beforeBreadcrumb(breadcrumb, hint) {
    // Filter or modify breadcrumbs
    if (breadcrumb.category === "console") {
      return null; // Don't capture console logs
    }
    return breadcrumb;
  },
  maxBreadcrumbs: 50,
});

Error Boundaries (React)

import * as Sentry from "@sentry/react";

// Basic error boundary
const App = () => (
  <Sentry.ErrorBoundary fallback={<ErrorPage />}>
    <YourApp />
  </Sentry.ErrorBoundary>
);

// With custom fallback and onError
<Sentry.ErrorBoundary
  fallback={({ error, resetError }) => (
    <div>
      <p>Something went wrong: {error.message}</p>
      <button onClick={resetError}>Try again</button>
    </div>
  )}
  onError={(error, componentStack) => {
    console.error("Caught by Sentry boundary:", error);
  }}
  beforeCapture={(scope) => {
    scope.setTag("location", "checkout");
  }}
>
  <CheckoutFlow />
</Sentry.ErrorBoundary>

Fingerprinting

Custom Grouping

Sentry.captureException(error, {
  fingerprint: ["{{ default }}", user.id],
});

Override Default Grouping

Sentry.init({
  beforeSend(event) {
    if (event.exception?.values?.[0]?.type === "ChunkLoadError") {
      event.fingerprint = ["chunk-load-error"];
    }
    return event;
  },
});

Scopes

Configure Scope

Sentry.configureScope((scope) => {
  scope.setUser({ id: user.id });
  scope.setTag("theme", "dark");
  scope.setLevel("warning");
});

With Scope (Isolated)

Sentry.withScope((scope) => {
  scope.setTag("operation", "batch_import");
  scope.setExtra("batchSize", items.length);
  Sentry.captureException(error);
});
// Tags/extra only apply within this scope

Best Practices

1. Set user context on login, clear on logout
2. Add relevant business context (order ID, tenant, etc.)
3. Use tags for filterable, indexable data
4. Use extra for detailed debugging data
5. Implement error boundaries at feature boundaries
6. Use fingerprinting to group related errors
7. Add breadcrumbs for critical user actions