The Inner Workings of the Saga Pattern

We have covered the architecture of the saga pattern. Now we look at how it keeps data consistent in a distributed system.

The Sequence of Transactions

A saga is essentially a sequence of local transactions. Each transaction is one step. The pattern is as much about undoing steps as it is about running them.

What does this mean? Each local transaction has a corresponding compensating transaction. If a transaction fails, the compensating transactions for the previous local transactions are executed. This "step back" process ensures the system's eventual consistency.