Graceful Degradation
/ˈɡreɪsfəl ˌdeɡrəˈdeɪʃən/
Definition
Designing a system to continue functioning with reduced capability when a dependency fails, rather than failing completely.
Example in context
"If the recommendation service is down, show popular items instead — graceful degradation keeps the cart page usable."
Related terms
Practice this term
Master Graceful Degradation in context by working through exercises in the Software Architecture module. You'll see the term used in real engineering scenarios with multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and matching drills.