Retry Without Regret: Making APIs Idempotent by Design
When APIs process the same request multiple times, the results can be costly: duplicate charges, repeated emails, and messy data. This article explores the concept of idempotency and how it helps developers build more resilient, reliable systems. Readers will learn practical strategies for implementing idempotency in real-world APIs, avoiding common pitfalls, and exploring how edge cases are handled by platforms like Stripe and Spotify. Whether you‘re building
a payments platform or managing user data, this guide will help you avoid déjà vu and production nightmares
Table of Contents
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- Introduction: Why Idempotency Matters
- What Is Idempotency?
- The Cost of Non-Idempotent APIs
- HTTP Verbs and Idempotency
- Preventing Replays with Idempotency Keys
- Implementing Idempotency in Middleware
- Choosing Cache Duration and Designing Keys
- Handling Race Conditions and Locking
- Debugging and Real-World Lessons (Spotify Case)
- Conclusion: Predictability Is a Feature
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