Wrapping Up

Every production failure is unique. No two incidents will share the precise chain of failure: same triggers, same fracture, same propagation. Over time, however, patterns of failure do emerge. A certain brittleness along an axis, a tendency for this problem to amplify that way. These are the stability antipatterns. Chapter 4, ​Stability Antipatterns​, deals with these patterns of failure.

If there are systematic patterns of failure, you might imagine that some common solutions would apply. You would be correct. Chapter 5, ​Stability Patterns​, deals with design and architecture patterns to defeat the antipatterns. These patterns cannot prevent cracks in the system. Nothing can. Some set of conditions will always trigger a crack. But these patterns stop cracks from propagating. They help contain damage and preserve partial functionality instead of allowing total failures.

First, the bad news. We must travel through the valley of shadows before we can reach the plateau of enlightenment. In other words, it’s time to look at the antipatterns that will kill your systems.