diff --git a/server/controllers/RecipeCtl.ts b/server/controllers/RecipeCtl.ts
index 9a530bf..53315ba 100644
--- a/server/controllers/RecipeCtl.ts
+++ b/server/controllers/RecipeCtl.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
-import createError from "http-errors";
 import { IRecipe } from "../schemas";
 import { Recipe } from "../models/recipe";
+import ControllerResponse from "../util/ControllerResponse";
 const RecipeInstance = new Recipe();
 
 export default class RecipeCtl {
     async getOne(id: string) {
         try {
             const result = await RecipeInstance.getOneByID(id);
-            if (!result) throw createError('404', "Recipe not found");
-            return result;
+            const ok = result !== null;
+            return new ControllerResponse(ok, (ok ? 200 : 404), (ok ? result : "No recipe found with this ID"));
         } catch (error: any) {
             throw new Error(error);
         }
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ export default class RecipeCtl {
     async getAllAuthored(id: string) {
         try {
             const result = await RecipeInstance.getAllAuthored(id);
-            if (!result) throw createError('404', "No recipes found");
-            return result;
+            const ok = result !== null;
+            return new ControllerResponse(ok, (ok ? 200 : 404), (ok ? result : "No recipes found authored by user with this ID"));
         } catch (e: any) {
             throw new Error(e);
         }
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ export default class RecipeCtl {
     async updateOne(id: string, data: IRecipe) {
         try {
             const result = await RecipeInstance.updateOneByID(id, data);
-            if (!result) throw createError('400', "Bad request");
-            return result;
+            const ok = result !== null;
+            return new ControllerResponse(ok, (ok ? 200 : 400), (ok ? result : "Something went wrong"));
         } catch (error: any) {
             throw new Error(error);
         }
@@ -45,8 +45,8 @@ export default class RecipeCtl {
     async post(userid: string, data: IRecipe) {
         try {
             const result = await RecipeInstance.post(userid, data);
-            if (!result) throw createError('400', "Bad request");
-            return result;
+            const ok = result !== null;
+            return new ControllerResponse(ok, (ok ? 201 : 400), (ok ? result : "Something went wrong"));
         } catch (error: any) {
             throw new Error(error);
         }
diff --git a/server/controllers/UserCtl.ts b/server/controllers/UserCtl.ts
index 4fa21ad..d2da39d 100644
--- a/server/controllers/UserCtl.ts
+++ b/server/controllers/UserCtl.ts
@@ -1,24 +1,31 @@
-import createError from 'http-errors';
 import { IUser } from '../schemas';
 import { User } from "../models/user";
+import ControllerResponse from '../util/ControllerResponse';
 const UserInstance = new User();
 
 export default class UserCtl {
+    ok?: boolean
+    code?: number
+
     async getAll() {
         try {
             const users = await UserInstance.getAllUsers();
-            if (!users) throw createError(404, "No users found");
-            return users;
+            const ok = users.length > 0;
+            const code = ok ? 200 : 404;
+            const data = ok ? users : "No users found.";
+            return new ControllerResponse(ok, code, data)
         } catch (error: any) {
             throw new Error(error);
         }
     }
 
-    async post(data: IUser) {
+    async post(body: IUser) {
         try {
-            const response = await UserInstance.post(data);
-            // if (!response) throw createError(400, "Bad request");
-            return response;
+            const response = await UserInstance.post(body);
+            const ok: boolean = response !== null;
+            const code = ok ? 201 : 400
+            const data = ok ? response : "Bad request"
+            return new ControllerResponse(ok, code, data);
         } catch (error: any) {
             throw new Error(error);
         }
@@ -27,18 +34,22 @@ export default class UserCtl {
     async getOne(id: number | string) {
         try {
             const user = await UserInstance.getOneByID(id);
-            if (!user) throw createError(404, "User not found");
-            return user;
+            const ok: boolean = user !== null;
+            const code = ok ? 200 : 404;
+            const data = ok ? user : "User by this ID not found";
+            return new ControllerResponse(ok, code, data);
         } catch (error: any) {
             throw new Error(error);
         }
     }
 
-    async updateOne(id: number | string, data: IUser) {
+    async updateOne(id: number | string, body: IUser) {
         try {
-            const result = await UserInstance.updateOneByID(id, data);
-            if (!result) throw createError(400, "Bad request");
-            return result;
+            const result = await UserInstance.updateOneByID(id, body);
+            const ok = result !== null;
+            const code = ok ? 200 : 400;
+            const data = ok ? result : "Update unsuccessful"
+            return new ControllerResponse(ok, code, data);
         } catch (error: any) {
             throw new Error(error);
         }
@@ -47,8 +58,10 @@ export default class UserCtl {
     async getFriends(id: number | string) {
         try {
             const result = await UserInstance.getFriends(id);
-            if (!result) return createError(404, "You have no friends");
-            return result;
+            const ok = result !== null
+            const code = ok ? 200 : 404;
+            const data = ok ? result : "No friends found"
+            return new ControllerResponse(ok, code, data);
         } catch (e: any) {
             throw new Error(e);
         }
@@ -57,8 +70,7 @@ export default class UserCtl {
     async getFriendshipByID(id: number | string, userid: number | string) {
         try {
             const { ok, code, result } = await UserInstance.getFriendshipByID(id, userid);
-            if (ok) return result;
-            throw createError(code, result);
+            return new ControllerResponse(ok, code, result);
         } catch (e: any) {
             throw new Error(e);
         }
@@ -67,8 +79,7 @@ export default class UserCtl {
     async getPendingFriendRequests(senderid: string | number) {
         try {
             const { ok, code, result } = await UserInstance.getPendingFriendRequests(senderid);
-            if (ok) return result;
-            throw createError(code, result);
+            return new ControllerResponse(ok, code, result);
         } catch (e: any) {
             throw new Error(e);
         }
@@ -77,8 +88,10 @@ export default class UserCtl {
     async addFriendship(userid: number | string, targetid: number | string) {
         try {
             const result = await UserInstance.addFriendship(userid, targetid);
-            if (!result) throw createError(400, "something went wrong");
-            return result;
+            const ok = result !== null;
+            const code = ok ? 201 : 400;
+            const data = ok ? result : "Something went wrong"
+            return new ControllerResponse(ok, code, data);
         } catch (e: any) {
             throw new Error(e);
         }
@@ -87,8 +100,7 @@ export default class UserCtl {
     async updateFriendship(id: number | string, userid: number | string, data: { active: boolean, pending: boolean, dateterminated?: string }) {
         try {
             const { ok, code, result } = await UserInstance.updateFriendship(id, userid, data);
-            if (ok) return result;
-            throw createError(code, result);
+            return new ControllerResponse(ok, code, result);
         } catch (e: any) {
             throw new Error(e);
         }
diff --git a/server/models/user.ts b/server/models/user.ts
index f0b7475..f2d6795 100644
--- a/server/models/user.ts
+++ b/server/models/user.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ export class User {
             const statement = `SELECT * FROM recipin.appusers`;
             const result = await pool.query(statement);
             if (result.rows.length) return result.rows;
-            return null;
+            return [];
         } catch (error: any) {
             throw new Error(error);
         }
diff --git a/server/routes/users.ts b/server/routes/users.ts
index 9be3ca7..49477da 100644
--- a/server/routes/users.ts
+++ b/server/routes/users.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { Express, Router } from 'express';
 import UserCtl from '../controllers/UserCtl';
 import { IUser } from '../schemas';
+import { CtlResponse } from '../util/types';
 const router = Router();
 const userCtl = new UserCtl();
 
@@ -9,23 +10,27 @@ export const userRoute = (app: Express) => {
 
     // get all users
     router.get('/', async (req, res) => {
-        const data = await userCtl.getAll();
-        res.status(200).send(data);
+        const result: CtlResponse<IUser | string> = await userCtl.getAll();
+        res.status(result.code).send(result.data);
     })
 
     // get, put by id
     router.get('/:userid', async (req, res, next) => {
         const { userid } = req.params;
         try {
-            const result: IUser = await userCtl.getOne(userid);
-            const { email, id, firstname, lastname, handle } = result;
-            res.status(200).send({
-                id: id,
-                email: email,
-                firstname: firstname,
-                lastname: lastname,
-                handle: handle
-            });
+            const result: CtlResponse<IUser | string> = await userCtl.getOne(userid);
+            if (result.ok) {
+                const { email, id, firstname, lastname, handle } = result.data as IUser;
+                res.status(result.code).send({
+                    id: id,
+                    email: email,
+                    firstname: firstname,
+                    lastname: lastname,
+                    handle: handle
+                });
+            } else {
+                res.status(result.code).send(result.data as string);
+            }
         } catch(e) {
             next(e);
         }
diff --git a/server/util/ControllerResponse.ts b/server/util/ControllerResponse.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ddebd60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/util/ControllerResponse.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import { CtlResponse } from "./types";
+
+export default class ControllerResponse<T> implements CtlResponse<T> {
+    ok: boolean
+    code: number
+    data: T | T[] | string
+
+    constructor(ok: boolean, code: number, data: T | T[] | string) {
+        this.ok = ok
+        this.code = code
+        this.data = data
+    }
+
+    send() {
+        return { ok: this.ok, code: this.code, data: this.data }
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/server/util/types.ts b/server/util/types.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b60f53c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/util/types.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+export interface CtlResponse<T> {
+    ok: boolean
+    code: number
+    data: T | T[] | string
+}
\ No newline at end of file