apache/flink · error · IllegalArgumentException

Length may not be negative.

Error message

Length may not be negative.

What it means

Error "Length may not be negative." thrown in apache/flink.

Source

Thrown at flink-core/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/types/Record.java:1385

        public void readFully(byte[] b) throws IOException {
            readFully(b, 0, b.length);
        }

        @Override
        public void readFully(byte[] b, int off, int len) throws IOException {
            if (len >= 0) {
                if (off <= b.length - len) {
                    if (this.position <= this.end - len) {
                        System.arraycopy(this.memory, position, b, off, len);
                        position += len;
                    } else {
                        throw new EOFException();
                    }
                } else {
                    throw new ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException();
                }
            } else if (len < 0) {
                throw new IllegalArgumentException("Length may not be negative.");
            }
        }

        @Override
        public int readInt() throws IOException {
            if (this.position >= 0 && this.position < this.end - 3) {
                @SuppressWarnings("restriction")
                int value = UNSAFE.getInt(this.memory, BASE_OFFSET + this.position);
                if (LITTLE_ENDIAN) {
                    value = Integer.reverseBytes(value);
                }

                this.position += 4;
                return value;
            } else {
                throw new EOFException();
            }
        }

View on GitHub (pinned to 2f3c205e92)

Solutions

1. Address the cause reported by the error message: Length may not be negative.
2. Verify the inputs, configuration values, and classpath/dependency setup related to this operation, then retry.

Example fix

Correct the condition described ("Length may not be negative.") and rerun the job or command.

When it happens

Trigger: Triggered at runtime when the operation fails because: Length may not be negative.

Common situations: Commonly caused by misconfiguration, missing dependencies or files, unsupported types or operations, or invalid user input leading to: Length may not be negative.

AI-assisted analysis of apache/flink@2f3c205e92 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/33d5e360409fc773. Report an issue: GitHub.