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gruperly/.agents/skills/zod/references/parse-use-safeparse.md
2026-09-04 16:49:24 -03:00

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---
title: Use safeParse() for User Input
impact: CRITICAL
impactDescription: parse() throws exceptions on invalid data; unhandled exceptions crash servers and expose stack traces to users
tags: parse, safeParse, error-handling, validation
---
## Use safeParse() for User Input
`parse()` throws a `ZodError` when validation fails, which crashes your application if not caught. `safeParse()` returns a result object that you can inspect without try/catch. Use `safeParse()` for any user-provided or external data.
**Incorrect (parse without error handling):**
```typescript
import { z } from 'zod'
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server'
const createUserSchema = z.object({
email: z.string().email(),
name: z.string().min(1),
})
export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
const body = await req.json()
// If validation fails, this throws and crashes the handler
const user = createUserSchema.parse(body)
// Never reached if parse throws
await db.users.create({ data: user })
return NextResponse.json({ success: true })
}
// Result: 500 Internal Server Error with stack trace
```
**Correct (using safeParse):**
```typescript
import { z } from 'zod'
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server'
const createUserSchema = z.object({
email: z.string().email(),
name: z.string().min(1),
})
export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
const body = await req.json()
const result = createUserSchema.safeParse(body)
if (!result.success) {
// Return structured error response
return NextResponse.json(
{ error: 'Validation failed', issues: result.error.issues },
{ status: 400 }
)
}
// result.data is typed correctly
await db.users.create({ data: result.data })
return NextResponse.json({ success: true })
}
```
**The result object structure:**
```typescript
// Success case
{ success: true, data: T }
// Error case
{ success: false, error: ZodError }
// Type narrowing works automatically
if (result.success) {
result.data // T - fully typed
} else {
result.error // ZodError
result.error.issues // Array of validation issues
}
```
**When parse() is acceptable:**
```typescript
// Internal data you control - parse is fine
const config = configSchema.parse(JSON.parse(process.env.CONFIG))
// Test assertions - parse throws helpful errors
expect(() => schema.parse(invalidData)).toThrow()
// Schema development - see errors immediately
schema.parse(testData) // See what fails during development
```
**When NOT to use this pattern:**
- Internal configuration parsing where invalid data should crash early
- Tests where you want exceptions to fail the test
- Scripts where you want to see the full error
Reference: [Zod API - safeParse](https://zod.dev/api#safeparse)