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SAGA Pattern Compensations

Maintain eventual consistency across microservices with compensating transactions instead of 2PC.

Abstract Algorithms

Abstract Algorithms

Jul 2, 2026Β·1 min readΒ·Intermediate
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Quick Take

In distributed systems, committing transactions across multiple database nodes with Two-Phase Commit (2PC) blocks resources and limits scale. The SAGA pattern solves this by executing a series of loca

In distributed systems, committing transactions across multiple database nodes with Two-Phase Commit (2PC) blocks resources and limits scale. The SAGA pattern solves this by executing a series of local transactions.

If a transaction fails, SAGA triggers a sequence of compensating transactions to roll back updates in reverse order.

πŸ“Š SAGA Failure and Compensation

Normal Flow:
[ Create Order ] ──► [ Authorize Payment ] ──► [ Reserve Inventory ] (Failed!)
                                                    β”‚
                                                    β–Ό
Compensating Flow (Rollback):                       β”‚
[ Cancel Order ] ◄── [ Refund Payment ] β—„β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜
  • Orchestration: A central orchestrator service coordinates the steps and commands.
  • Choreography: Each service publishes events, and other services react, triggering the next step without a central manager.

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