Failover is a decision, not a switch
A backup provider only helps when the system can identify a failure, determine whether retrying is safe, and select another path that supports the same request. Production routing therefore needs more than a static ordered list.
The router must understand model availability, protocol features, regional rules, current health, and the failure mode of the original attempt.
Signals a reliable router should use
Effective routing combines configuration with live operational evidence.
- Capability compatibility for the requested model and features.
- Recent success rate and latency for each provider path.
- Error type, retry safety, and remaining request deadline.
- Price and policy constraints for the buyer.
- Streaming and response-format requirements.
Avoid retry storms
Retries can amplify an outage if every failed request immediately moves to the same backup. Use bounded attempts, time budgets, circuit breakers, and route-level capacity awareness. Preserve request identifiers so one user action can be traced across every attempt.
Measure the user-visible outcome
Provider uptime is not the final metric. Track whether the complete user request succeeded, how long it took, how many attempts were required, and what it cost. This end-to-end view shows whether routing is actually improving reliability rather than moving failures between vendors.
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