The hidden problem with long-running API requests

A request taking 2-3 seconds locally does not feel like a problem. In production, it becomes one very quickly. Most backend issues I’ve seen around APIs were not caused by bad logic. They were caused by requests staying open for too long. Why this becomes dangerous Long-running requests hold resources. Usually: database connections memory worker threads external API sessions One slow request is manageable. Hundreds of slow requests at the same time start creating bottlenecks across the entire sy