Reliability
The ability of a system to perform correctly and consistently over time.
Plain English
Does the system keep doing what users expect?
In context
Reliability includes availability correctness durability and predictable recovery under real operating conditions.
Example
“Reliability is more important than peak throughput for this workflow.”
When you'll hear this
- architecture review
- SLO planning
- incident review
Common misunderstanding
A system can be available yet produce incorrect results and therefore be unreliable.
Commonly used by
Related terms
Updated: 2026-08-25
