Software → System Design
Circuit Breaker
A resilience pattern that stops calls to a failing dependency to prevent cascading failures.
Motivation
A circuit breaker stops calls to a failing dependency for a period of time. It solves the problem of preventing cascading failures.
Mental model
When failure is likely, fail fast instead of piling more pressure on the dependency.
Where it fits
Circuit Breaker belongs to the Software track, inside System Design. It connects to nearby concepts through the graph relationships on this page and in the graph explorer.
Common mistakes
- Using circuit breakers without timeouts.
- Not monitoring open circuits.
- Making retry storms worse.
Related concepts
Use the metadata panel or return to the graph to explore concepts that this one requires or relates to.