Pattern 78 / FALLBACK

Fallback Cache

Use this when Serving acceptable stale data when live dependencies fail.

Pressure: Serving acceptable stale data when live dependencies fail
Mechanism: Keep last-known-good data and use it under defined failure conditions
Toll: Staleness must be visible and bounded

Diagram for Fallback Cache — Architecture plate78

Executive brief

Fallback Cache fits when Serving acceptable stale data when live dependencies fail. Mechanism: Keep last-known-good data and use it under defined failure conditions. Use it for Catalogs, feature flags, config, public content. The toll: Staleness must be visible and bounded.

Use when

Catalogs, feature flags, config, public content.

Example

Use fallback cache when catalogs, feature flags, config, public content..

Review framing

Describe the pressure first, then the mechanism, then the cost. That keeps the design grounded.

Same pressure family