Responding slowly or intermittently is a major system flaw that can’t be ignored. Sometimes, the problem isn’t just in your system but also in your dependencies.

Here are 4 ways to tackle latency:

Get Correct Timeouts

Imagine you’re waiting for a bus. If it doesn’t arrive within a reasonable time, you’ll give up and find an alternative mode of transportation.

Similarly, in a system, setting appropriate timeouts is like deciding how long to wait for a response before considering it a failure. If you set the timeout too long, users will experience delays. But if it’s too short, you risk labeling a potentially successful call as a failure.

Set Circuit Breakers

Picture a circuit breaker in your home. If there’s a sudden surge of electricity, the circuit breaker shuts off to prevent damage.

In a system, circuit breakers work similarly. After a certain number of failed requests to a resource, the circuit breaker “trips,” stopping further requests. This prevents overloading the resource and protects the system from cascading failures.

Implement Bulkheads

Think of a ship with multiple compartments. If one compartment springs a leak, the others remain watertight, preventing the entire ship from sinking.

Similarly, in a system, bulkheads isolate components into pools. If one component fails, the others continue to function, preventing the failure from spreading across the system.

Implement Rate Limits

Imagine a restaurant where guests can only take a limited number of servings at a time. People have to wait until vacant a seat or go for another restaurent

By implementing rate limits, you’re essentially controlling the rate at which requests can be made to your system. This prevents one user or service from overwhelming the system with requests, ensuring fair access for everyone.