Error Mapping

Payment processors speak different error languages. Stripe says "card_declined." Adyen says "Refused." PayPal says "INSTRUMENT_DECLINED." Prism translates all of them into a single set of error codes your application handles once.

The Mapping Problem

Without unified error mapping, your code looks like this:

// Without Prism—handle every connector's errors separately
if (connector === 'stripe') {
    if (error.code === 'card_declined') {
        // handle decline
    }
} else if (connector === 'adyen') {
    if (error.resultCode === 'Refused') {
        // handle decline
    }
} else if (connector === 'paypal') {
    if (error.details[0].issue === 'INSTRUMENT_DECLINED') {
        // handle decline
    }
}
// Repeat for 50+ connectors...

With Prism, you write the handling logic once:

// With Prism—unified error codes
if (error.code === 'PAYMENT_DECLINED') {
    // Handles Stripe, Adyen, PayPal, and all others
    showError('Your payment was declined.');
}

How Mapping Works

Each connector adapter includes an error mapper that translates connector-specific codes to unified codes:

Stripe Error ──────┐
                   ├──► Error Mapper ──► Unified Error
Adyen Error ───────┤
                   │
PayPal Error ──────┘

The mapper analyzes:

• HTTP status codes

• Error codes in the response body

• Error messages

• Decline reasons

Then selects the appropriate unified error code.

Unified Error Structure

Every error follows this structure:

struct UnifiedError {
    code: ErrorCode,              // Unified error code
    message: String,              // Human-readable description
    category: ErrorCategory,      // Classification
    connector_code: String,       // Original connector code
    connector_message: String,    // Original connector message
    request_id: String,           // For support/debugging
    retryable: bool,              // Whether to retry
    suggested_action: String,     // Recommended fix
}

Error Code Reference

Unified Code	Description	Stripe Equivalent	Adyen Equivalent
PAYMENT_DECLINED	Generic decline	card_declined	Refused
INSUFFICIENT_FUNDS	Not enough money	card_declined + decline_code: insufficient_funds	Not enough balance
EXPIRED_CARD	Card expired	expired_card	Expiry Date not valid
INCORRECT_CVV	Wrong security code	incorrect_cvc	CVC Declined
INVALID_CARD_NUMBER	Bad card number	incorrect_number	Invalid card number
PROCESSING_ERROR	Generic processor error	processing_error	Error
NETWORK_TIMEOUT	Request timed out	HTTP 504	Timeout
RATE_LIMITED	Too many requests	HTTP 429	HTTP 401
INVALID_API_KEY	Auth failed	HTTP 401	HTTP 401
VALIDATION_ERROR	Bad request format	HTTP 400	HTTP 422

Mapping Examples

Stripe Error Mapping

impl From<StripeError> for UnifiedError {
    fn from(stripe: StripeError) -> Self {
        match stripe.code.as_str() {
            "card_declined" => {
                let code = match stripe.decline_code.as_deref() {
                    Some("insufficient_funds") => ErrorCode::INSUFFICIENT_FUNDS,
                    Some("expired_card") => ErrorCode::EXPIRED_CARD,
                    Some("incorrect_cvc") => ErrorCode::INCORRECT_CVV,
                    _ => ErrorCode::PAYMENT_DECLINED,
                };
                
                UnifiedError {
                    code,
                    message: format!("Payment declined: {}", stripe.message),
                    category: ErrorCategory::PAYMENT_ERROR,
                    connector_code: stripe.code,
                    connector_message: stripe.message,
                    retryable: false,
                    suggested_action: "Ask customer for different payment method",
                    ..Default::default()
                }
            }
            "expired_card" => UnifiedError {
                code: ErrorCode::EXPIRED_CARD,
                message: "Your card has expired".to_string(),
                category: ErrorCategory::PAYMENT_ERROR,
                connector_code: stripe.code,
                connector_message: stripe.message,
                retryable: false,
                suggested_action: "Ask customer to check expiration date",
                ..Default::default()
            }
            // ... more mappings
            _ => UnifiedError {
                code: ErrorCode::UNKNOWN_ERROR,
                message: "An unexpected error occurred".to_string(),
                category: ErrorCategory::UNKNOWN,
                connector_code: stripe.code,
                connector_message: stripe.message,
                retryable: false,
                suggested_action: "Contact support",
                ..Default::default()
            }
        }
    }
}

Adyen Error Mapping

impl From<AdyenResponse> for UnifiedError {
    fn from(adyen: AdyenResponse) -> Self {
        match adyen.result_code.as_str() {
            "Refused" => {
                let code = match adyen.refusal_reason.as_deref() {
                    Some(r) if r.contains("Not enough balance") => ErrorCode::INSUFFICIENT_FUNDS,
                    Some(r) if r.contains("Expiry Date") => ErrorCode::EXPIRED_CARD,
                    Some(r) if r.contains("CVC") => ErrorCode::INCORRECT_CVV,
                    _ => ErrorCode::PAYMENT_DECLINED,
                };
                
                UnifiedError {
                    code,
                    message: adyen.refusal_reason.unwrap_or_default(),
                    category: ErrorCategory::PAYMENT_ERROR,
                    connector_code: "Refused".to_string(),
                    connector_message: adyen.refusal_reason.unwrap_or_default(),
                    retryable: false,
                    suggested_action: "Ask customer for different payment method",
                    ..Default::default()
                }
            }
            // ... more mappings
            _ => UnifiedError::unknown(),
        }
    }
}

Category Classification

Errors are classified into categories for routing and handling:

enum ErrorCategory {
    PAYMENT_ERROR,        // Customer's fault—bad card, no funds
    NETWORK_ERROR,        // Infrastructure—timeouts, connection issues
    CONFIGURATION_ERROR,  // Setup—invalid credentials, wrong settings
    VALIDATION_ERROR,     // Request—missing fields, bad format
    UNKNOWN,              // Unclassified—log and investigate
}

Category determines:

• PAYMENT_ERROR: Show customer-friendly message

• NETWORK_ERROR: Retry with exponential backoff

• CONFIGURATION_ERROR: Alert ops team immediately

• VALIDATION_ERROR: Fix request and retry

• UNKNOWN: Log everything, contact support

Connector-Specific Details Preserved

While mapping to unified codes, Prism preserves original error details:

{
    "error": {
        "code": "PAYMENT_DECLINED",
        "message": "Your payment was declined.",
        "category": "PAYMENT_ERROR",
        
        // Original Stripe details
        "connector_code": "card_declined",
        "connector_message": "Your card was declined.",
        
        // Additional context
        "connector": "stripe",
        "decline_code": "stolen_card"  // Stripe-specific field
    }
}

This lets you:

• Handle errors generically with unified codes

• Access original details for debugging

• Show connector-specific messaging if needed

Adding New Error Mappings

When adding a new connector, you define error mappings in the adapter:

// In your connector adapter
fn map_error(&self, connector_error: ProviderError) -> UnifiedError {
    match connector_error {
        ProviderError::Declined { reason } => UnifiedError {
            code: ErrorCode::PAYMENT_DECLINED,
            message: reason.clone(),
            connector_code: "declined".to_string(),
            connector_message: reason,
            category: ErrorCategory::PAYMENT_ERROR,
            retryable: false,
            suggested_action: "Use different payment method",
            ..Default::default()
        },
        ProviderError::Timeout => UnifiedError {
            code: ErrorCode::NETWORK_TIMEOUT,
            message: "Request timed out".to_string(),
            category: ErrorCategory::NETWORK_ERROR,
            retryable: true,
            suggested_action: "Retry with backoff",
            ..Default::default()
        },
        // ... more mappings
    }
}

Benefits

• Single error handling path: Write once, works for all connectors

• Consistent customer experience: Same messages regardless of processor

• Debugging preserved: Original error details available

• Extensible: Add new connectors without changing error handling code

Your application handles 50+ payment processors with one set of error handlers.