retryAttempts

RetryAttempts is a software mechanism that controls how many times an operation is retried after a failure. When an operation fails with a retryable error, the system waits for a configured delay and reissues the operation, up to the configured number of retryAttempts. If a call eventually succeeds or the attempts are exhausted, the outcome is reported to the caller.

Configuration typically includes maxRetries, initialDelay, and a backoff strategy (fixed, linear, exponential, or jittered). Exponential backoff with jitter is widely used to spread retry attempts and reduce contention across services. Some implementations cap the total time spent retrying or impose a maximum backoff.

Not all errors should trigger retries. Transient conditions such as temporary network glitches or service throttling are candidates, while invalid input or authentication failures usually should not be retried.

Important considerations include ensuring operations are idempotent or compensatable, handling partial side effects, and integrating with timeouts and cancellation. In distributed systems, retries can contribute to latency and load, so monitoring retry counts and failure rates is important. Some systems pair retries with circuit breakers to avoid repeated pressure on a failing service.

Common usage areas include API calls, database queries with transient errors, and message processing in queues or event streams. The policy for retryAttempts should be documented and configurable to adapt to evolving service conditions.