Fallback Pattern
The Fallback Pattern is a software design pattern that provides an alternative solution or default behavior when a primary operation fails or is unavailable. It is commonly used in distributed systems, microservices, and user interfaces to enhance resilience and user experience by gracefully handling errors. This pattern ensures that applications remain functional and responsive even when dependencies or resources are down.
Developers should use the Fallback Pattern to build robust systems that can tolerate failures in external services, network issues, or resource unavailability, preventing cascading failures and improving overall reliability. It is particularly valuable in scenarios like e-commerce checkouts (e.g., using cached data if payment services fail), content delivery (e.g., showing default images if media servers are unreachable), and API integrations (e.g., returning stale data as a backup).