Database Unique Constraints with Idempotency Keys is the most reliable, auditable, and production-friendly method I’ve seen, especially for critical flows like order placement.
- Strong guarantees
- If a duplicate idempotency_key comes in, the insert fails cleanly, and you can fetch the original result.
- Easy to debug: You can query by idempotency_key and instantly understand what happened.
If you combine this with Redis caching (to throttle retries) or broker-level deduplication (for async flows), you get layered protection, but DB uniqueness is the backbone.
IMHO, your article could do with less upfront content. It got me reading but the generated text came in the way pro con and key insight. An extended article with a comparison analysis would have been very welcome.
Nice writeup. But please stop using this chatgpt style of formatting content. I see it everywhere online nowadays. These random emojis and bulleted lines are ruining the reading experience
Great article Raul.
These are some solid tips to manage duplication and implement idempotency.
Thanks so much!
Glad it was helpful; duplication bugs are sneaky, so having a few solid patterns ready really makes a difference.
nicely explained, Raul.
Do you have a go-to approach to implement idempotency & why?
Database Unique Constraints with Idempotency Keys is the most reliable, auditable, and production-friendly method I’ve seen, especially for critical flows like order placement.
- Strong guarantees
- If a duplicate idempotency_key comes in, the insert fails cleanly, and you can fetch the original result.
- Easy to debug: You can query by idempotency_key and instantly understand what happened.
If you combine this with Redis caching (to throttle retries) or broker-level deduplication (for async flows), you get layered protection, but DB uniqueness is the backbone.
My go-to approach is uniqueness on the DB level + idempotency key. It works for most cases.
Love this breakdown, Raul!
Thanks for touching on this pertinent topic.
IMHO, your article could do with less upfront content. It got me reading but the generated text came in the way pro con and key insight. An extended article with a comparison analysis would have been very welcome.
Nice writeup. But please stop using this chatgpt style of formatting content. I see it everywhere online nowadays. These random emojis and bulleted lines are ruining the reading experience