Tell me about the term idempotency

Idempotence is a property of an operation or function where multiple executions with the same input do not change the result after the first application.

Example: if a package installation command is idempotent, then running it again will not reinstall or cause an error — the system state remains correct.

In the context of automation and infrastructure, idempotence is important for reliability: scripts can be run multiple times without risking breaking the system or obtaining unpredictable results.