{
  "id": 18640539,
  "title": "🎃 The Real Nightmare Isn't a Bug. It's a Bug Nobody Notices. 🎃",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/the-real-nightmare-isnt-a-bug-its-a-bug-nobody-notices",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-07T04:51:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/sinarezaei/the-real-nightmare-isnt-a-bug-its-a-bug-nobody-notices-565n"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The real nightmare in software development isn't necessarily a bug, but rather a bug that goes unnoticed. Imagine deploying a new feature, and everything seems fine - all tests pass, CI is green, and there are no errors in the logs. However, a user may still report an issue, such as their payment being processed twice.\n\nConsider this simplified example of how this problem can occur: an async function is used to process a payment. The function attempts to charge the customer using the paymentAPI and handles any errors that may arise. If the error code is TIMEOUT, the function retries the charge request. However, if the first request completed successfully, the response could have been lost, and the retry could result in a double charge.\n\nTo prevent this issue, one solution is to use an idempotency key. By adding an idempotencyKey parameter to the paymentAPI charge request, the payment service can recognize repeated requests for the same operation and return the original result instead of charging the customer again. This approach relies on the payment provider correctly supporting and implementing idempotency.\n\nThe scariest aspect of production bugs is that sometimes the code appears to work as intended, passing all tests, and generating a green CI result. Yet, the real-world conditions may reveal different outcomes. The tests may not have covered every possible failure scenario, leaving room for the scariest bugs to surface - those that never appear in the test results. As we approach Halloween, it's a fitting reminder that sometimes the most terrifying bugs are the ones we never anticipate.",
  "summary": "Imagine deploying a new feature. All tests pass. CI is green. No errors in the logs. Everything looks fine. Then a user reports that their payment was processed twice. Here's a simplified example of what can go wrong: async function processPayment ( order ) { try { return await paymentAPI . charge ({ amount : order . total , customerId : order . customerId }); } catch ( error ) { if ( error .…",
  "key_points": [
    "Real nightmare in software dev is unnoticed bugs",
    "Payment double charge due to lost response",
    "Idempotency key can prevent double charges"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}