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What Is The CAP Theorem

The CAP theorem, proposed by Eric Brewer, states that in a distributed data store, only two of the three guarantees—Consistency, Availability, and Partition Tolerance—can be achieved simultaneously. It is crucial for understanding the design and limitations of distributed systems, particularly in scenarios involving network failures. Real-world applications often prioritize different combinations of these guarantees based on specific needs, such as banking systems favoring consistency and social media platforms prioritizing availability.

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5 views7 pages

What Is The CAP Theorem

The CAP theorem, proposed by Eric Brewer, states that in a distributed data store, only two of the three guarantees—Consistency, Availability, and Partition Tolerance—can be achieved simultaneously. It is crucial for understanding the design and limitations of distributed systems, particularly in scenarios involving network failures. Real-world applications often prioritize different combinations of these guarantees based on specific needs, such as banking systems favoring consistency and social media platforms prioritizing availability.

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CAP theorem, formulated by Eric Brewer, states that in a distributed data store, only
two out of the following three guarantees can be achieved at the same time:

1. Consistency: Every read from the database gets the latest (or most recent) write or
an error. In our party analogy, this is like ensuring that every guest hears the latest
song being played, no matter which hall they're in.

2. Availability: Every request (read/write) receives a response, without the guarantee


that it contains the most recent write. In the party context, this means that everyone
gets into a hall and hears a song, but it might not be the latest one playing in other
halls.

3. Partition Tolerance: The system continues to operate despite an arbitrary number of


messages being
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party halls loses connection to the others, Learn morein that hall still goes on.
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Consistency Availability
All users see the System continues
RDBMS
same data at the to function even
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possible

BigTable, Dynamo,
Cassandra,
HBase
CouchDB

Partition tolerance
System continues to function
even if the communication
fails between nodes

Why Is It Important?

In distributed systems (like databases spread across multiple locations or servers),


network failures happen. The CAP theorem guides the design and understanding of
these systems, helping to balance trade-offs between consistency and availability
when partitions (network failures) occur.

Real-World Implications:

1. CP (Consistency + Partition Tolerance): Ideal for systems where accuracy is crucial,


like banking systems. If a partition happens, the system might choose to refuse
transactions until consistency can be guaranteed.

2. AP (Availability + Partition Tolerance): Great for systems where service availability


is crucial,
Weanduse it's okaytotoprovide
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you withstale data. Social
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and relevant often
follow this model. communication. Learn more

3. CA (Consistency + Availability): This is not a realistic choice for distributed systems


since partition tolerance is a must-have in any networked system. However,
traditional RDBMS (Relational Database Management Systems) often fit into this
category in non-distributed setups.

CAP in the Real World:

In practice, modern distributed systems often make trade-offs based on the current
situation. For instance, they might normally prioritize consistency and availability, but in
the event of a network partition, they might temporarily sacrifice consistency to
maintain availability.

The CAP theorem is a key principle in understanding the limitations and design choices
of distributed systems. It reminds us that in the world of distributed data, trade-offs are
inevitable, and perfect solutions don't always exist.

TAGS to read mode on CAP theorem: CAP vs. PACELC


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