In Search of an Understandable Consensus Algorithm
Consensus, re-derived with understandability as the design goal rather than a nice property of the write-up.
Read the original ↗Raft is usually introduced as 'Paxos, but you can understand it'. That undersells what is strange about the paper: understandability is the stated design goal, it drove the technical decisions, and the authors went and measured it.
Included with a plan
This discussion is included with a plan. The first three lessons of every track are free, with their boards and videos. A plan unlocks every lesson, board, video, lab and paper for one price.
Related on chalk
The same idea as a board, lab, video or lesson.
- BoardWho Holds the Penthe split room and the single pen, which is leader election
- BoardThe Two Ledgers Must Agreethe blocking coordinator consensus is the answer to
- BoardConsistency and Consensusthe same ground, taken slowly
- BoardWAL & Recoverythe log and the replay, on one machine - Raft is this, agreed on by five
- LabWho holds the penrun the split-brain the paper's safety rules exist to prevent
- LabThe two ledgers must agreetwo-phase commit, and the coordinator that stops the world
- LabThe write-ahead logcheckpoints against replay time, the trade Raft calls snapshotting
- VideoConsensus: who holds the penone pen, five clerks, a fence
- VideoDistributed transactions: the two ledgers must agreethe crash that lands between two writes
- LessonRaft 01: Leader ElectionUses the board Who Holds the Pen
- LessonRaft Capstone: EverythingUses the board Who Holds the Pen
- LessonWho holds the pen (consensus & Raft)Uses the board Who Holds the Pen
- LessonThe Two Ledgers Must Agree (Distributed Transactions)Uses the board The Two Ledgers Must Agree
- LessonConsistency and ConsensusUses the board Consistency and Consensus
- LessonBuild Your Own RaftUses the board Consistency and Consensus
- LessonRaft 02: Log ReplicationUses the board Consistency and Consensus
- LessonWAL & RecoveryUses the board WAL & Recovery
- LessonThe engine in productionUses the board WAL & Recovery
Further reading
Read the original for the full argument and its evidence.