"Design Me a Highly Resilient Database"

6 days ago

The article discusses the importance of context when designing a resilient database, emphasizing that resilience depends on the specific use case, data model, and failure modes.
It highlights the author's experience in fintech, where ACID compliance is non-negotiable, and contrasts this with databases like Cassandra, which offer eventual consistency but are unsuitable for financial ledgers.
The CAP theorem is mentioned to illustrate the trade-offs between consistency, availability, and partition tolerance in database design.
Key questions to ask before designing a database include data type, query patterns, consistency requirements, availability SLA, durability needs, and budget.
The article warns against choosing the wrong database, citing real-world consequences like audit findings, regulatory scrutiny, and data loss.
The author advocates for a conversation-based approach to database design, starting with understanding the problem rather than jumping to a product name.

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