The CAP Theorem, proposed by Eric Brewer, states that in any distributed system, you can guarantee at most two of the following three properties simultaneously:
Consistency (C): All nodes see the same data at the same time. Every read receives the most recent write or an error.
Availability (A): The system remains operational and responsive, meaning every request receives a response (success or failure).
Partition Tolerance (P): The system continues to operate despite network failures that prevent communication between nodes.
The theorem essentially says you must choose between CP (Consistency + Partition Tolerance) or AP (Availability + Partition Tolerance) when network partitions occur, as CA (Consistency + Availability) is impossible in a distributed system with network partitions.
Rewriting in plainer words…
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