Architecture & DesignIntermediate
Graceful Degradation
PronunciationGRAYSFUL deg-ruh-DAY-shun
Definition
Graceful Degradation is a system design approach that allows a software application to maintain core functionality when a component or external service fails, instead of crashing entirely.
Where you hear it
- In architecture reviews - When discussing reliability and fault tolerance - During outage post-mortems
Examples
If the recommendation service is down, the e-commerce app displays standard items instead of crashing.
The web app hides advanced animations when the browser's performance drops.
Common mistake
Confusing it with fail-open, which specifically describes security or access control behavior rather than general system functionality and user experience.
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