Exponential Backoff
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
Exponential backoff doubles the wait time between each retry. Wait 1s, then 2s, then 4s, then 8s. It grows exponentially so you back off harder the more things fail. Without it, retries become a DDoS attack on your own infrastructure.
Real Talk
Exponential backoff is a retry strategy where the delay between retries increases exponentially (typically doubling). The formula is usually: delay = base * 2^attempt. It's combined with a maximum delay cap and often includes jitter. Standard in cloud SDK retry policies (AWS, GCP) and recommended by most API providers for rate limit handling.
When You'll Hear This
"Use exponential backoff with a cap at 60 seconds for API retries." / "AWS SDK uses exponential backoff by default for throttled requests."
Related Terms
Jitter
Jitter adds randomness to retry delays so all your clients don't retry at the exact same time.
Rate Limiting
Rate limiting is like a bouncer who says 'you can come in 100 times per hour, then you wait.
Retry with Backoff
Retry with backoff means trying again when something fails, but waiting longer between each attempt. First retry: wait 1 second. Second: 2 seconds.