Idempotency
Idempotency is a fundamental concept in computer science that describes a function or operation that yields the same result when executed multiple times.
Classification
- ComplexityMedium
- Impact areaTechnical
- Decision typeArchitectural
- Organizational maturityIntermediate
Technical context
Principles & goals
Use cases & scenarios
Compromises
- Misunderstandings regarding the application of idempotency
- Possible performance degradation
- Errors in implementation
- Clear definition of idempotent operations.
- Regular review of systems.
- Documentation of implementation.
I/O & resources
- User Request
- Data Input
- API Token
- Processing Results
- Confirmation Response
- Updated Data
Description
Idempotency is an important concept that plays a role in software development and web services. It helps make systems more robust and predictable by ensuring that repeated requests have the same effect, regardless of how many times they are executed. This is particularly relevant for error handling and system recovery.
✔Benefits
- Increased Reliability of Systems
- Better Error Handling
- Simpler Design
✖Limitations
- Can lead to unexpected effects in non-idempotent operations
- Requires a good understanding of the processes
- Not all operations can be made idempotent
Trade-offs
Metrics
- Number of Erroneous Requests
Counts the number of requests that fail due to errors.
- Request Turnaround Times
Measures the time taken to process requests.
- Customer Satisfaction
Rating measurement of user satisfaction with the system.
Examples & implementations
E-commerce Platform
An e-commerce system where product updates are idempotent, ensuring that repetitions do not trigger additional orders.
Banking Software
Banking software ensures that bill payments are processed only once.
Social Networks
Social networks where updating the profile picture is idempotent.
Implementation steps
Develop an idempotency strategy.
Implement tests for validation.
Train employees for implementation.
⚠️ Technical debt & bottlenecks
Technical debt
- Neglected codebase.
- Insufficient tests.
- Lack of evaluation of errors.
Known bottlenecks
Misuse examples
- Double payment of bills.
- Excessive API requests.
- Misunderstood user requests.
Typical traps
- Flawed implementation of idempotency.
- Lack of documentation.
- Unclear error messages.
Required skills
Architectural drivers
Constraints
- • Compliance Requirements Compliance
- • Technological Limitations
- • Budget Constraints