Error Handling and Retries

Overview:

The system improves reliability by handling transient AWS failures with bounded retries and returning structured error responses for downstream systems.

Prerequisites:

• Lambda pipeline in place
• Defined backend error contract
• Structured logging enabled
• Rekognition permissions available

Implementation/Steps:

1. The system classifies errors as retryable or non-retryable.
2. The system retries transient failures using exponential backoff with jitter.
3. The system centralizes retry logic across all Rekognition calls.
4. The system returns structured error payloads instead of raw exceptions.
5. The system logs request ID, S3 location, attempt count, and error details.
6. The system preserves normal behavior for successful executions.

Key Takeaways:

• Retry logic targets only transient failures.
• Bounded retries prevent cascading failures.
• Structured errors protect downstream consumers.
• Centralized handling ensures consistent behavior.