System Design · Senior · Question 45 of 75
How does designing for strong consistency differ for a bank balance versus a like counter?
- ✓Correct answer: The balance needs transactions, likes don't
- 2Both require equally strict transactions without exception
- 3Both can be computed on the client without the server
Explanation
Consistency requirements are set by the domain: money needs ACID transactions and idempotency, while likes can be accumulated, aggregated asynchronously and shown with a delay ("1.2K"). The choice affects cost and scalability.