What are Consistency models in
distributed systems?
In distributed systems, consistency models
establish criteria for data synchronization and
specify how users and applications should
interpret data changes across several nodes.
In a distributed system, it speci cally controls
how data is accessed and changed across
numerous nodes and how clients are
informed of these updates. These models
range from strict to relaxed approaches.
Consistency Model in Distributed System

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Consistency Model in Distributed System
In distributed systems, consistency models
come in a variety of forms. Every consistency
model has advantages and disadvantages,
and the system’s particular requirements will
determine which model is best.
Types of Consistency Models
1. Strong Consistency
In a strongly consistent system, all nodes
in the system agree on the order in which
operations occurred. Reads will always
return the most recent version of the data,
when an update occurs on one server, this
model makes sure every other server in the
system re ects this change immediately.
This model provides the highest level of
consistency, but it can be slower and
require more resources in a distributed
environment since all servers must stay
perfectly in sync.

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Strict Consistency Model in Distributed System
2. Sequential Consistency Model
It is a consistency model in distributed
systems that ensures all operations across
processes appear in a single, uni ed order. In
this model, every read and write operation
from any process appears to happen in
sequence, regardless of where it occurs in
the system. Importantly, all processes
observe this same sequence of operations,
maintaining a sense of consistency and order
across the system.

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sequence, regardless of where it occurs in
the system. Importantly, all processes
observe this same sequence of operations,
maintaining a sense of consistency and order
across the system.
3. Causal Consistency Model
The Causal Consistency Model is a type of
consistency in distributed systems that
ensures that related events happen in a
logical order. In simpler terms, if two
operations are causally related (like one
action causing another), the system will make
sure they are seen in that order by all users.
However, if there’s no clear relationship
between two operations, the system doesn’t
enforce an order, meaning di erent users
might see the operations in di erent
sequences.
4. Weak Consistency Model
A weakly consistent system provides no
guarantees about the ordering of operations
or the state of the data at any given time.
Clients may see di erent versions of the data
depending on which node they connect to.
This model provides the highest availability
and scalability but at the cost of consistency.
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or the state of the data at any given time.
Clients may see di erent versions of the data
depending on which node they connect to.
This model provides the highest availability
and scalability but at the cost of consistency.
5. Session Consistency
Session Consistency guarantees that all of
the data and actions a user engages with
within a single session remain consistent.
Consider it similar to online shopping:
session consistency ensures that an item will
always be in your cart until you check out or
log out, regardless of how you explore the
page.
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