Eventual Data Consistency
Eventual data consistency is a weaker form of consistency compared to immediate global data consistency. It guarantees that all replicas of data will eventually become identical, but it doesn't specify a timeframe for when this will happen.
After a file write operation, the new or updated data will eventually be propagated to all locations, but there's no guarantee that a read operation will immediately return the updated file.
In terms of real world operation, eventual consistency means:
- Delayed updates: Changes made to data might not be immediately visible to all systems.
- Stale reads: It's possible to read outdated data before the system has fully synchronized.
- High availability: Eventual consistency often prioritizes availability and performance over strong consistency.