Okuzeka
Software Engineering vocabulary · Architecture, Design Patterns and Graphics

Idempotency

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

nounCommon term

In software engineering, idempotency means: The property that repeating an operation has the same intended effect as performing it once.

In Turkish: eşgüçlülük, idempotent olma özelliği

How it is used

Used when designing retries. Repeated calls may return different responses while leaving the intended state unchanged.

Example sentences

  1. The endpoint uses idempotency to prevent a retried payment request from creating a second charge.

    The retry must be recognized as the same operation rather than a new purchase.

  2. The delete endpoint preserves idempotency even if a later call reports that the record is absent.

    The response can change while the intended effect, an absent record, remains the same.

Common collocations

  • ensure idempotency
  • idempotency key
  • requestA message that a client sends to a server or API, asking it to do something such as return data or save a new record.
  • HTTP methodThe word at the start of an HTTP request that says what the client wants to do, such as GET to read, POST to create or DELETE to remove.

More terms: Architecture, Design Patterns and Graphics

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: