AI engineering glossary · Web APIs HTTP
What is exponential backoff?
Exponential backoff: A retry strategy in which the wait between attempts grows by a multiplying factor, for example 1, 2, 4 then 8 seconds, so struggling servers get breathing room instead of a flood of repeats. It is recommended for calls to rate-limited AI APIs.
Exponential backoff: an example
delay = base * 2 ** attempt gives 1 s, 2 s, 4 s, 8 s for attempts 0 to 3.
Related terms
More Web APIs HTTP terms
Where you learn it
Exponential backoff is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.