Latest Cap-Theorem Articles

The CAP theorem describes a fundamental constraint in distributed data systems : during a network partition, a system cannot guarantee both strong consistency and full availability for every request.

Consistency in system design describes how fresh and correct data should be when users, services, or replicas read it after a write. Some systems require every read to reflect the latest committed value, while others can tolerate stale data for better latency, availability, or scalability.

CP systems guarantee that all nodes maintain a consistent state even during partitions, but they reject or delay requests when coordination cannot be achieved. This is typically implemented using quorum-based replication or consensus protocols that require agreement before committing writes.