The Async Handler Pattern That Eliminates Repetitive try/catch in Express APIs

Developers building APIs with Express.js often repeat the same try/catch/next(error) block across dozens of async controllers, making codebases bloated and error-prone. A missed try/catch block means Express will not automatically catch errors thrown inside async functions, creating silent failure risks. The Async Handler pattern solves this by wrapping controller functions in a single utility that automatically catches errors and forwards them to Express's global error middleware. The wrapper uses Promise.resolve().catch(next) internally, so controllers only need to contain their actual business logic without any error-handling boilerplate. For the pattern to work correctly, a global error middleware must also be in place, as the async handler forwards errors rather than generating responses itself.