# Redundancy Redundancy is the practice of duplicating critical system components so that if one fails, another can take over without service interruption. Redundancy can apply to hardware (multiple servers, power supplies, network links), software (multiple instances of an application), and data (replicated databases, backup copies). Types of redundancy include active-active (all copies handle traffic simultaneously), active-passive (standby copies activate only on failure), and N+1 (one spare for every N active components). Geographic redundancy distributes copies across different physical locations or data centers to protect against regional failures. In API infrastructure, redundancy is essential for maintaining availability. API gateways deployed across multiple regions or edge locations provide geographic redundancy, ensuring that if one location fails, requests are automatically routed to the nearest healthy location. Backend services behind the gateway should also be redundant. Serverless platforms provide built-in redundancy by running functions across multiple availability zones or edge nodes, removing the need for teams to manage redundancy configurations manually. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.serverlessapigateway.com/glossary/r/redundancy.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.