What is optimistic concurrency control in databases?

What is optimistic concurrency control in databases?

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 time of commit.

How does it differ from pessimistic concurrency control?

Unlike optimistic concurrency control, pessimistic concurrency control locks resources to prevent conflicts, which can lead to reduced performance due to waiting.

What are the advantages of using optimistic concurrency control?

The main advantages include improved performance in high-concurrency environments and reduced locking overhead, allowing for greater throughput.

Can you give an example of where it might be used?

It's often used in web applications where many users read data simultaneously but write less frequently, such as social media platforms.