What is the difference between eventual and strong consistency?

What is the difference between eventual and strong consistency?

Eventual consistency means that, given enough time, all updates will propagate through the system, and all nodes will eventually reflect the same data. Strong consistency, on the other hand, ensures that any read operation will return the most recent write for a given piece of data.

Can you give me an example of where I might use each type?

Sure! Eventual consistency is often used in systems like social media feeds, where it's acceptable for updates to take time to appear. Strong consistency is crucial in banking systems, where you need to ensure that transactions are accurately reflected immediately.

What are the trade-offs between the two?

The trade-off for eventual consistency is higher availability and partition tolerance, but it may lead to stale reads. Strong consistency provides immediate accuracy but can reduce availability and increase latency.

Which one is better for real-time applications?

For real-time applications, strong consistency is often preferred to ensure that users see the most up-to-date information. However, it depends on the specific requirements of the application.