When should I use optimistic concurrency?

What is optimistic concurrency and when should I use it?

Optimistic concurrency is a strategy where multiple transactions can occur without locking resources. You should use it when conflicts are rare and you want to improve performance.

Can you give me an example of a situation where optimistic concurrency is beneficial?

Sure! It's beneficial in scenarios like collaborative editing, where multiple users might update a document simultaneously, but conflicts are infrequent.

What are the downsides of using optimistic concurrency?

The main downside is that if a conflict occurs, you may need to handle retries or rollbacks, which can complicate your application logic.

How does optimistic concurrency compare to pessimistic concurrency?

Optimistic concurrency allows more parallelism and is less resource-intensive, while pessimistic concurrency locks resources to prevent conflicts, which can lead to bottlenecks.