Which architectural principle helps an application remain available when an individual component fails?

Loose coupling is an architectural principle where components are designed to be independent and have minimal dependencies on each other. If one component fails, the others can continue to function, preventing a single point of failure and improving overall application availability. For example, using message queues between services allows them to operate asynchronously, so if a downstream service is temporarily unavailable, the upstream service isn't blocked. Disposable resources, while important for elasticity and cost-effectiveness, don't directly address availability during component failure. Automation helps with deployment and management but doesn't inherently make an application available during a component failure. Rightsizing optimizes resource allocation for performance and cost but isn't primarily an availability principle.