How does optimistic concurrency control work?

Can you explain how optimistic concurrency control works?

Sure! Optimistic concurrency control is a database management technique that assumes multiple transactions can complete without affecting each other. It allows transactions to proceed without locking resources, checking for conflicts only at the end.

What happens if there is a conflict?

If a conflict is detected during the validation phase, one of the transactions will be rolled back, and the user will need to retry the operation.

Is this method better than pessimistic concurrency control?

It depends on the use case. Optimistic concurrency control is often more efficient in environments with low contention, while pessimistic control may be better for high contention scenarios.

Can you give an example of where this is used?

Certainly! It's commonly used in web applications where multiple users may be editing the same data, like collaborative document editing.