simulate

Backend Factory - Simulate Failure

Run a predefined failure scenario against the current architecture to visualize how the system behaves under stress.

Step 1: Check Server

curl -s http://localhost:7777/api/status

If the server is not running, tell the user to run /backend-factory:start first.

Step 2: Parse Scenario

Parse the scenario name from $ARGUMENTS. Valid scenarios:

Scenario	Description
db-failure	Database goes offline
cache-down	Cache layer fails
high-traffic	10x traffic spike
auth-breach	Unauthorized intrusion attempt
cascade-failure	Critical node failure propagates downstream
slow-dependency	External API becomes slow

If $ARGUMENTS is empty or not recognized, list all scenarios and ask the user to pick one.

If $ARGUMENTS is stop or reset, POST the original architecture back (without scenario_mode) and exit.

Step 3: GET Current Architecture

ARCH_JSON=$(curl -s http://localhost:7777/api/architecture)

Step 4: Build Scenario

For complete scenario definitions and modification rules, see scenarios-reference.md.

Each scenario modifies the architecture JSON by:

• Setting affected node metadata.status fields
• Adding error_at and error_message to affected actions
• Creating special character types for the simulation
• Identifying healthy vs. failing routes

Scenario Quick Reference

• db-failure: DB nodes go "down", routes hitting DB get error paths, routes without DB stay healthy
• cache-down: Cache nodes go "down", requests bypass cache to DB, DB gets "overloaded"
• high-traffic: Traffic multiplied 10x, rate limiters activate, queues back up
• auth-breach: Intruder characters try every route, auth middleware blocks, unprotected routes exposed
• cascade-failure: Most-connected node fails, failure propagates through dependency levels
• slow-dependency: External API latency spikes to 15s, timeout risks surface

Step 5: Apply Scenario

Add scenario_mode to the architecture JSON and POST:

TMPFILE_SIM=$(mktemp /tmp/factory-sim-XXXXXX.json)
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:7777/api/architecture \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d @"$TMPFILE_SIM"
rm -f "$TMPFILE_SIM"

Step 6: Report

1. The story — narrative introduction for the scenario
2. What's affected — impacted nodes and routes
3. What's healthy — parts that still work
4. What to watch for — scenario-specific observation guide
5. Vulnerabilities found — architectural weaknesses exposed

End with:

• The simulation is live at http://localhost:7777
• To stop: /backend-factory:simulate reset
• To try another: /backend-factory:simulate <scenario-name>