Every packet launched from the client node flies toward the gate. If the circuit is closed it passes through to the server; a red result flies back and the next attempt waits an exponentially growing, jittered delay before launching again. The vertical bar beside the gate fills with each consecutive failure — when it reaches the trip threshold the gate physically slams shut: the circuit is open, and every packet now bounces straight off the gate without ever reaching the server. After the cooldown ring empties, the gate cracks ajar for one half-open trial packet — if it gets through, the gate opens fully again; if it fails, it slams shut for another cooldown.
delay(n) = min(maxDelay, base·2ⁿ) · (1 ± jitter)
streak ≥ threshold → gate shut (open)
cooldown elapsed → gate ajar (half-open) → 1 trial
trial ok → gate open (closed) · trial fail → gate shut again
- Flakiness — probability any packet that reaches the server fails.
- Base / Max delay, Jitter — shape of the backoff curve between retries.
- Trip threshold — how many consecutive failures shut the gate.
- Cooldown — how long the gate stays shut before the next probe.
Orbit and zoom to watch packets queue at the client, bounce off a shut gate, or burst green at the server on success.