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Discuss API error handling and retry mechanisms.

General/Othereasy0.3 min readPremium

**Why Robust Handling**: APIs failā€”transient (5xx, timeout) vs. permanent (4xx). Retrying 400 wastes time; not retrying 503 causes false failures. **Strategy**: Exponential backoff with jitter to avoid thundering herd; cap retries (3-5); circuit breaker after consecutive...

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Frequency
Low
Asked at 1 company
Category
243
questions in General/Other
Difficulty Split
151E|43M|49H
in this category
Total Bank
1,863
across 7 categories
Asked at these companies
Warner Bros Discovery

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This easy-level General/Other question appears frequently in data engineering interviews at companies like Warner Bros Discovery. While less common, it tests deeper understanding that distinguishes strong candidates.

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Expert Answer
62 words

Why Robust Handling: APIs failā€”transient (5xx, timeout) vs. permanent (4xx). Retrying 400 wastes time; not retrying 503 causes false failures.

Strategy: Exponential backoff with jitter to avoid thundering herd; cap retries (3-5); circuit breaker after consecutive failures. Idempotency keys for POST/PUT.

Cost: Retries add latency and load; distinguish retriable vs. non-retriable. Log request IDs for correlation. At scale: circuit breakers protect downstream.

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