apache/hadoop · error · IllegalArgumentException

${name} is NULL, empty or contains a '&'

Error message

${name} is NULL, empty or contains a '&'

What it means

Error "${name} is NULL, empty or contains a '&'" thrown in apache/hadoop.

Source

Thrown at hadoop-common-project/hadoop-auth/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/security/authentication/util/AuthToken.java:91

    checkForIllegalArgument(userName, "userName");
    checkForIllegalArgument(principal, "principal");
    checkForIllegalArgument(type, "type");
    this.userName = userName;
    this.principal = principal;
    this.type = type;
    this.maxInactives = -1;
    this.expires = -1;
  }
  
  /**
   * Check if the provided value is invalid. Throw an error if it is invalid, NOP otherwise.
   * 
   * @param value the value to check.
   * @param name the parameter name to use in an error message if the value is invalid.
   */
  protected static void checkForIllegalArgument(String value, String name) {
    if (value == null || value.length() == 0 || value.contains(ATTR_SEPARATOR)) {
      throw new IllegalArgumentException(name + ILLEGAL_ARG_MSG);
    }
  }

  /**
   * Sets the max inactive interval of the token.
   *
   * @param interval max inactive interval of the token in milliseconds since
   *                 the epoch.
   */
  public void setMaxInactives(long interval) {
    this.maxInactives = interval;
  }

  /**
   * Sets the expiration of the token.
   *
   * @param expires expiration time of the token in milliseconds since the epoch.
   */

View on GitHub (pinned to 2add963021)

Solutions

1. Pass a token attribute name that is non-null, non-empty, and contains no '&' character.

Example fix

Use simple attribute names such as 'u' or 'e' when building the token.

When it happens

Trigger: Raised at runtime when the documented precondition or configuration requirement for this operation is violated.

Common situations: Misconfigured or missing property, invalid user input, or calling the API before its prerequisites are met.

AI-assisted analysis of apache/hadoop@2add963021 (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a565f5ff6a6a2208. Report an issue: GitHub.