How does Rails handle backpressure in high-throughput systems?

Backpressure is handled using queues, rate limiting, and load shedding strategies.

Backpressure prevents system overload by controlling request intake. Rails applications use Sidekiq queues, Redis throttling, API gateways, and circuit breakers. When downstream services slow down, upstream components reduce request rates or reject traffic. This ensures system stability under peak load conditions.