Modern distributed systems are all about tradeoffs. Performance, reliability, scalability, and consistency don’t come for free — you always pay a price somewhere. That’s where the CAP theorem comes in: it’s the starting point for understanding the unavoidable compromises in distributed design. 

Why is the CAP theorem true? What does it actually explain? And, most importantly, is it enough? In this post, we’ll explore the CAP theorem, its limitations, the critiques it has faced, and how newer ideas like PACELC are pushing the conversation forward. Let’s dive in.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *