Zar Labs
Saga pattern for distributed transactions
Last reviewed: 2026-09-28
Executive summary
Sagas replace two-phase commit across services with sequenced local transactions and compensations. Orchestration sagas pair naturally with durable workflows.
Choreography vs orchestration
- Choreography: events drive next steps
- Orchestration: a coordinator drives the saga
- Prefer orchestration when visibility and compensations are complex
Pros & cons
Pros
- Works across services
- Explicit failure handling
Cons / watch-outs
- Compensations are hard
- Needs idempotency
Comparison
| Style | Visibility |
|---|---|
| Choreography | Lower |
| Orchestrated saga | Higher |
Frequently asked questions
Do Temporal workflows help sagas?
Yes — durable orchestration is a natural home for saga steps. See /services/temporal-workflow-development.
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