Retry Backoff Calculator
Set initial delay, multiplier, cap, and retry count to see the full backoff schedule with optional jitter, cumulative wait, and a pseudocode snippet.
Backoff Parameters
Wait before the first retry
Scale factor per attempt (e.g. 2 = double each time)
Delay never exceeds this value
Number of retry attempts (1–10)
Jitter spreads retries to avoid thundering-herd
Total Max Wait
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Delay at Cap
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Jitter Mode
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Retry Schedule
| Attempt | Base Delay | Jitter Range | Cumulative Max |
|---|
Pseudocode
Set parameters and click Calculate Schedule
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Summary
Set initial delay, multiplier, cap, and retry count to see the full backoff schedule with optional jitter, cumulative wait, and a pseudocode snippet.
How it works
- Enter an initial delay in milliseconds — the wait before the first retry.
- Set the multiplier (base) that scales the delay on each subsequent attempt.
- Set a max delay cap so the backoff plateaus rather than growing without bound.
- Choose a jitter mode: None keeps deterministic delays; Full randomises between 0 and the computed delay; Equal splits it half-fixed plus half-random.
- Read the table for each attempt's base delay, jitter range, and cumulative max wait, then copy the pseudocode snippet into your codebase.
Use cases
- Size retry budgets for HTTP clients calling external APIs with rate limits.
- Prevent thundering-herd on service restarts by adding jitter across many clients.
- Set timeout and circuit-breaker thresholds based on the cumulative max wait.
- Compare Full vs Equal jitter to tune aggressiveness of early vs late retries.
- Document the retry policy in runbooks or ADRs with concrete numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated: 2026-07-01 ·
Reviewed by Nham Vu