Why top developers prioritize failure management

Modern software development involves managing complex systems that require not just a focus on coding but also on handling failures effectively. The article discusses three common approaches to managing failures in distributed systems—Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs), persistent queues, and workflows—each with unique advantages and disadvantages. RPCs offer simplicity and efficiency but lack resilience for partial failures, placing a heavy burden on clients for error handling. Persistent queues provide flexibility and load distribution but can suffer from loss of ordering and limited visibility. Workflows offer robust failure management with automatic retries, state management, and enhanced visibility, although they require substantial infrastructure and setup complexity. The article highlights Temporal's workflow-as-code approach, which simplifies building resilient systems by automating state management and error handling, as exemplified by companies like ANZ Bank that use Temporal to manage complex financial processes reliably. Emphasizing that failure management is a strategic choice, the article encourages developers to integrate resilience into their systems from the start to ensure long-term success.