What is BASE?
A database principle (Basically Available, Soft state, Eventually consistent) that prioritises availability over immediate consistency.
Why It Matters
BASE allows distributed databases to stay available even when network partitions occur, at the cost of temporary inconsistency.
Real-World Example
A social media like count might briefly show different numbers on different servers before syncing up.
“Understanding terms like BASE matters because it helps you have better conversations with developers and make smarter decisions about your software. You do not need to be technical. You just need to know enough to ask the right questions.”
Related Terms
ACID
A set of properties (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) that guarantee database transactions are reliable.
Eventual Consistency
A model where data updates propagate gradually and all copies will eventually match, but may differ briefly.
CAP Theorem
A principle stating that a distributed database can only guarantee two of three properties: Consistency, Availability, and Partition tolerance.
NoSQL
Databases that store data differently from traditional tables, often as flexible documents or key-value pairs
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Related Terms
NoSQL
Databases that store data differently from traditional tables, often as flexible documents or key-value pairs
ACID
A set of properties (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) that guarantee database transactions are reliable.
CAP Theorem
A principle stating that a distributed database can only guarantee two of three properties: Consistency, Availability,...
Eventual Consistency
A model where data updates propagate gradually and all copies will eventually match, but may differ briefly.
Database
An organised collection of data that your application can store, retrieve, and update
SQL
A language for communicating with databases, used to create, read, update, and delete data