What are the challenges of achieving causal consistency in distributed systems?

What are the challenges of achieving causal consistency in distributed systems?

Causal consistency ensures that operations are seen in a specific order. Challenges include latency, network partitions, and maintaining the causal relationship across distributed nodes.

Can you explain how latency affects causal consistency?

Latency can lead to delays in propagating updates, causing nodes to see operations out of order, which violates causal consistency.

What strategies can be used to overcome these challenges?

Strategies include using vector clocks, causal broadcast protocols, and ensuring reliable communication channels to maintain order.

Are there any real-world applications that face these challenges?

Yes, applications like collaborative editing tools and distributed databases often face challenges in maintaining causal consistency.

How does causal consistency compare to eventual consistency?

Causal consistency is stricter than eventual consistency, as it requires operations to be seen in a specific order, while eventual consistency only guarantees that all nodes will eventually converge.