Overview
In a stateless architecture, each request from a client to a server is treated as an independent transaction. The server does not retain any 'memory' of previous interactions. Any necessary state information must be provided by the client in the request or stored in an external backing service (like a database or cache).
Key Characteristics
- Scalability: Instances can be added or removed easily because any instance can handle any request.
- Resilience: If an instance fails, another can take its place without losing user data.
- Simplicity: Simplifies server-side logic by removing the need for session synchronization.
Use Cases
- Web servers serving static content.
- RESTful APIs.
- Microservices that perform specific, isolated tasks.