Sagas: As discussed, a saga breaks a long-running transaction into smaller?

Short answer: transactions, each handled by an individual service. Sagas manage failures by using compensating actions, thus avoiding the need for distributed locking.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

After payment succeeds, ShopNest publishes OrderPaid. Inventory and Notification services react independently—no giant distributed transaction.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.