---
id: wiki-2026-0508-discriminated-unions-for-state-m
title: Discriminated Unions for State Modeling
category: 10_Wiki/Topics
status: verified
canonical_id: self
aliases: [Tagged Unions, Sum Types, ADT State]
duplicate_of: none
source_trust_level: A
confidence_score: 0.9
verification_status: applied
tags: [typescript, state-modeling, types, frontend]
raw_sources: []
last_reinforced: 2026-05-10
github_commit: pending
tech_stack:
  language: TypeScript
  framework: React / any
---

# Discriminated Unions for State Modeling

## 매 한 줄
> **"매 impossible state 의 unrepresentable"**. Discriminated union (tagged union, sum type) 으로 매 async/UI state 를 modeling 하면 매 `loading + error + data` simultaneous 같은 illegal combination 매 type system 매 차단.

## 매 핵심

### 매 motivation
- Boolean flag combinatorics: `isLoading`, `isError`, `data` → 8 states, 매 5+ illegal.
- DU: 매 mutually-exclusive variants 만 표현.

### 매 anatomy
- Common discriminator field (`type`, `status`, `kind`).
- Per-variant payload.
- TS narrows by discriminator in `switch` / `if`.

### 매 응용
1. Async data (idle / loading / success / error).
2. Form (initial / submitting / submitted / failed).
3. Wizard (step1 / step2 / done).
4. Auth (anonymous / loading / authenticated / expired).
5. Reducer/state machine actions.

## 💻 패턴

### Async state DU
```ts
type AsyncState<T, E = Error> =
  | { status: 'idle' }
  | { status: 'loading' }
  | { status: 'success'; data: T }
  | { status: 'error'; error: E };

function render<T>(s: AsyncState<T>) {
  switch (s.status) {
    case 'idle': return <Idle />;
    case 'loading': return <Spinner />;
    case 'success': return <Data data={s.data} />; // 매 data 매 type-safe
    case 'error': return <Err msg={s.error.message} />;
  }
}
```

### Exhaustive check helper
```ts
function assertNever(x: never): never {
  throw new Error(`Unhandled variant: ${JSON.stringify(x)}`);
}

function step(s: WizardState) {
  switch (s.kind) {
    case 'address': return <AddressForm />;
    case 'payment': return <PaymentForm />;
    case 'review': return <Review />;
    default: return assertNever(s); // 매 compile error 매 새 variant 추가 시
  }
}
```

### Form state DU
```ts
type FormState<V, E = Record<string, string>> =
  | { phase: 'editing'; values: V }
  | { phase: 'submitting'; values: V }
  | { phase: 'failed'; values: V; errors: E }
  | { phase: 'submitted'; result: { id: string } };
```

### Auth state DU
```ts
type Auth =
  | { state: 'anonymous' }
  | { state: 'authenticating' }
  | { state: 'authenticated'; user: User; token: string }
  | { state: 'expired'; lastUser: User };

function canAccessAdmin(a: Auth): boolean {
  return a.state === 'authenticated' && a.user.role === 'admin';
}
```

### Reducer with action DU
```ts
type Action =
  | { type: 'fetch/start' }
  | { type: 'fetch/success'; payload: User[] }
  | { type: 'fetch/error'; error: string };

function reducer(s: AsyncState<User[]>, a: Action): AsyncState<User[]> {
  switch (a.type) {
    case 'fetch/start': return { status: 'loading' };
    case 'fetch/success': return { status: 'success', data: a.payload };
    case 'fetch/error': return { status: 'error', error: new Error(a.error) };
  }
}
```

### Pattern matching with `ts-pattern`
```ts
import { match } from 'ts-pattern';

const view = match(state)
  .with({ status: 'idle' }, () => <Idle />)
  .with({ status: 'loading' }, () => <Spinner />)
  .with({ status: 'success' }, ({ data }) => <Data data={data} />)
  .with({ status: 'error' }, ({ error }) => <Err msg={error.message} />)
  .exhaustive();
```

### Nested DU (loading sub-status)
```ts
type Resource<T> =
  | { state: 'idle' }
  | { state: 'loading'; progress?: number }
  | { state: 'streaming'; partial: T[]; progress: number }
  | { state: 'success'; data: T }
  | { state: 'error'; error: Error; retryCount: number };
```

### Builder helpers
```ts
const idle = <T,>(): AsyncState<T> => ({ status: 'idle' });
const loading = <T,>(): AsyncState<T> => ({ status: 'loading' });
const success = <T,>(data: T): AsyncState<T> => ({ status: 'success', data });
const failure = <T,>(error: Error): AsyncState<T> => ({ status: 'error', error });
```

## 매 결정 기준
| 상황 | Approach |
|---|---|
| 2+ boolean flags 매 mutually exclusive | DU 강제 |
| Single boolean | 매 plain bool OK |
| Complex transitions | DU + state machine (XState) |
| Library API surface | DU 매 caller-friendly |

**기본값**: async/form/wizard/auth state 매 즉시 DU 모델링.

## 🔗 Graph
- 부모: [[TypeScript]] · [[Type-Driven-Design]]
- 변형: [[Algebraic-Data-Types]] · [[Sum-Types]]
- 응용: [[XState]] · [[React-Query]]
- Adjacent: [[Exhaustiveness-Checking]] · [[Pattern-Matching]]

## 🤖 LLM 활용
**언제**: async data, multi-step UI, auth flow, anywhere 매 boolean explosion 발생.
**언제 X**: 매 single-flag 매 trivial — over-engineering.

## ❌ 안티패턴
- **Boolean explosion**: `isLoading && !isError && data` chains.
- **Optional fields encoding state**: `{ data?, loading?, error? }` — 매 invalid combos 가능.
- **Missing exhaustive check**: 매 new variant 추가 시 매 silently broken.

## 🧪 검증 / 중복
- Verified (TS handbook / Richard Feldman "Making Impossible States Impossible").
- 신뢰도 A.

## 🕓 Changelog
| 날짜 | 변경 |
|---|---|
| 2026-05-08 | Phase 1 |
| 2026-05-10 | Manual cleanup — DU patterns for async/form/auth state |
