What is causal consistency in distributed systems?

Can you explain what causal consistency means in distributed systems?

Causal consistency is a model that ensures operations are seen by all nodes in a way that respects the cause-and-effect relationships.

How does it differ from eventual consistency?

Unlike eventual consistency, which guarantees that all nodes will eventually converge to the same state, causal consistency ensures that if one operation causally affects another, the affected operation will be seen after the cause.

Can you give me an example of causal consistency in action?

Sure! Imagine two users commenting on a post. If User A comments first and User B replies to that comment, User B's reply should be visible only after User A's comment is seen.

What are the benefits of using causal consistency?

Causal consistency provides a balance between performance and correctness, allowing for more intuitive interactions while maintaining a logical order of operations.