Posts tagged "distributed systems"

When two systems edit the same record, last-write-wins is the easy answer. It also throws away data on purpose. Here is when that is fine, and when it is a trap.

When you really delete a row, other systems can never learn that it is gone. A tombstone is a delete you can see. Here is why it matters and how to use one.

Everybody wants exactly-once delivery. Over a network it is impossible. Here is why, and the trick that gives you the same result in practice.

The right way to learn Kafka is to build a tiny log broker — not a fake queue with ack/delete. One topic, one log file, one offset per consumer group. That is the whole model.

Most Kafka vs RabbitMQ comparisons say it depends and stop there. This article cuts through the noise by asking one key question about what your system is actually trying to preserve, and maps that directly to the right tool.