CAP theorem in system design interviews 1 question in 2 chapters

  1. 01Consistency versus availability
  2. 02Sources

Consistency versus availability

  • 1.1 What is the CAP theorem, and how do you use it in a design? Medium 4 min

    CAP says that when a network partition splits a distributed system, each side must choose: refuse some requests to stay consistent, or keep answering and risk stale or conflicting data. Partitions aren't optional, so it's really C versus A during a partition, not pick any two. I make that choice per operation: payments and inventory stay consistent, while browsing and recommendations stay available.

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Sources