ACID vs BASE Tradeoff
Contrast ACID relational transactions with BASE-style eventual consistency. When is each appropriate?
Answers use simple, clear English.
Quick interview answer
ACID prioritizes strong consistency inside a transaction boundary — good for money, inventory reservations. BASE (Basically Available, Soft state, Eventual consistency) favors availability/partition tolerance with reconciliation — good for feeds, analytics, shopping carts that can sync later. Don't force eventual consistency on correctness-critical ledgers without compensating transactions.
Detailed answer
ACID prioritizes strong consistency inside a transaction boundary — good for money, inventory reservations. BASE (Basically Available, Soft state, Eventual consistency) favors availability/partition tolerance with reconciliation — good for feeds, analytics, shopping carts that can sync later. Don't force eventual consistency on correctness-critical ledgers without compensating transactions.
Real example & use case
Ledger posting is ACID; recommendation feed counters can be eventually consistent.
Pros & cons
Pros of ACID: simpler mental model for money. Cons: harder horizontal scale. BASE scales but needs conflict handling.