
AWS Step Functions parallel states can implement early-exit patterns like "either-or" and "quorum" by using fail states and error handling to break out before all parallel flows complete.


<div><p>This article explains how to implement early-exit patterns from AWS Step Functions parallel states, which normally wait for all branches to complete.</p><ul><li>Parallel states typically complete only when all parallel flows finish</li><li>Either-or pattern: exit when any one parallel flow completes</li><li>Quorum pattern: exit when minimum number of flows complete</li><li>Uses fail state with error handling to trigger early exits</li><li>Quorum pattern requires DynamoDB table to track completion status</li><li>Both patterns include timeout flows to prevent indefinite waiting</li><li>Sample implementations available on Serverless Land with deployment instructions</li></ul><p>These patterns enable workflows to proceed without waiting for all parallel branches, useful for approval processes and other conditional completion scenarios.</p></div>


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