Explain the CAP theorem and its implications.

beginner

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The CAP theorem states that in a distributed system, you can only guarantee two out of three properties:

Consistency (C): All nodes see the same data simultaneously
Availability (A): System remains operational and responds to requests
Partition Tolerance (P): System continues operating despite network failures

Implications: Since network partitions are inevitable in distributed systems, you must choose between consistency and availability:

CP systems (like MongoDB): Sacrifice availability during partitions to maintain consistency
AP systems (like Cassandra): Sacrifice consistency to remain available during partitions

Real-world systems often implement "eventual consistency" to balance these trade-offs.

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