Missing client timeouts prolong API outages

Clients without configured timeouts wait indefinitely during API outages or brownouts, multiplying traffic through unbounded retries and creating thundering herd conditions that prolong incidents.

Configure client timeouts before implementing retry logic. Set connection timeouts (e.g., 2s), read/request timeouts (e.g., 3s), and limit total retry duration. Use bounded exponential backoff with jitter to prevent thundering herd. Example: connect-timeout 2s, max-time 3s, 2 retries with max 8s total.