1. A method for handling a failure in a data switch, the method comprising: selecting a service feature provided on the data switch, which is applied to data packets transferred through the data switch by: an ingress line card of the data switch having at least one ingress interface; a service card of the data switch; and an egress line card of the data switch having at least one egress interface; defining a first feature chain as a sequentially-traversed list containing at least one feature handled by the ingress line card, followed by at least one feature handled by a routing process applied by the service card, followed by at least one feature handled by the egress line card, and comprising a service feature; associating the first feature chain with a first interface of the data switch; defining a first failure policy for the service feature in the first feature chain, wherein the first failure policy includes a change in the first feature chain; detecting a failure in the service feature in the first feature chain associated with the first interface; routing data packets through the data switch while applying, responsively to the failure, the first failure policy to the first interface; and invoking a redundant component as a backup for the service failure when the redundant component is available, and applying the first failure policy when there is no redundant component available.