ACID Compliance
Ever wondered how your favorite online shopping site manages to not accidentally sell you the entire store while you’re at checkout? Thank ACID compliance.
In the world of databases, ensuring the reliability and integrity of data transactions is paramount. This is where ACID compliance comes into play. ACID stands for Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability, the four key properties a database must adhere to ensure reliable transaction processing.
Let’s understand this in detail;
What is ACID compliance?
ACID compliance is a set of properties guaranteeing that database transactions are processed reliably.
ACID compliance is crucial for applications that require reliable and consistent transactions, such as banking systems, e-commerce platforms, and critical data management systems. The consequences of non-compliance can be severe, including data corruption, transaction failures, and loss of trust.
Let’s break down each of these properties:
Atomicity
Atomicity ensures that a transaction is all-or-nothing. This means that either all the operations within the transaction are completed successfully, or none of them are.
Consider a bank transfer scenario where you are transferring $100 from your savings account to your checking account. The transaction involves debiting $100 from your savings account and crediting $100 to your checking account. Atomicity ensures that if either of these operations fails, neither will be executed, preventing any inconsistencies in your account balances.
Consistency
Consistency ensures that a transaction brings the database from one valid state to another, maintaining database invariants.
In a database of an online store, a rule might state that the total number of products in inventory must be non-negative. Consistency ensures that after a transaction, such as updating inventory after a sale, this rule is still maintained.
Isolation
Isolation ensures that concurrent transactions execute in such a way that they do not interfere with each other. The result is the same as if the transactions were executed serially, one after the other.
Suppose two customers are simultaneously trying to purchase the last item in stock. Isolation ensures that one of the transactions will be completed before the other starts, preventing both transactions from thinking they have successfully purchased the last item.
Durability
Durability guarantees that once a transaction has been committed, it will remain so, even in the event of a system failure.
After successfully booking a flight ticket, the confirmation is sent to the user. Durability ensures that even if the system crashes immediately after sending the confirmation, the booking is not lost and can be retrieved upon recovery.
Who needs to care about ACID compliance?
Understanding and implementing ACID compliance is crucial for several key players:
Developers and Engineers
Developers and engineers are on the front lines of implementing database systems. They rely on ACID compliance to ensure transactions are processed accurately and reliably.
Without ACID properties, transactions could fail, data might become inconsistent, or critical operations could be disrupted. For them, ACID compliance is like having a sturdy foundation for their applications—essential for avoiding bugs and ensuring data integrity.
Business Leaders and CTOs
Business leaders and Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) need to be aware of ACID compliance when making decisions about technology investments. They must weigh the risks and benefits of different databases, understanding that ACID compliance helps ensure reliable transactions and data consistency.
It’s akin to choosing a reliable car for a business trip—ACID compliance ensures the system performs well and avoids potentially costly failures, protecting business operations and maintaining customer trust.
Compliance and Security Teams
Compliance and security teams are responsible for ensuring systems meet regulatory standards and safeguard data. ACID compliance is critical for preventing issues such as data corruption and unauthorized access.
It acts as a safeguard, ensuring that transactions are processed correctly and that data remains secure, even in the event of system failures or errors. For these teams, ACID compliance helps maintain the integrity and confidentiality of data, aligning with regulatory requirements and best practices.
ACID compliant databases
ACID compliance is crucial for applications that require reliable and consistent transactions, such as banking systems, e-commerce platforms, and critical data management systems.
Several popular databases are ACID-compliant:
- PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL is an open-source relational database that fully supports ACID properties. It ensures data integrity and supports complex transactions, making it a popular choice for enterprise applications.
According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2023, PostgreSQL remains one of the most loved databases, with 44.29% of respondents expressing interest in using it.
- MySQL (InnoDB storage engine)
MySQL with the InnoDB storage engine is ACID compliant. InnoDB ensures that all four ACID properties are met, providing reliability for transactional applications.
As of 2023, MySQL remains the second most popular database management system according to the DB-Engines Ranking.
- Oracle Database
Oracle Database is a commercial relational database known for its robustness and support for ACID properties. It is widely used in large-scale enterprise environments. Oracle’s continued dominance in the enterprise sector can be attributed to its comprehensive feature set and support.
- Microsoft SQL Server
SQL Server is another commercial relational database that supports ACID properties. It provides comprehensive tools for managing and ensuring transaction integrity. SQL Server is noted for its strong performance and integration with Microsoft products, making it a staple in many organizations.
- MongoDB (with transactions)
While MongoDB is primarily a NoSQL database, it introduced support for multi-document ACID transactions starting from version 4.0. This allows developers to use MongoDB for applications requiring ACID compliance.
MongoDB’s adoption rate has seen a steady increase, as highlighted in the DB-Engines Ranking, reflecting its growing popularity in modern applications.
Non-ACID compliant databases
Not all databases are designed to be ACID-compliant. Some prioritize performance and scalability over strict adherence to ACID properties. These databases are often used in applications where speed and distributed computing are more critical than transaction reliability.
- Cassandra
Apache Cassandra is a NoSQL database designed for high availability and scalability. It follows the BASE (Basically Available, Soft state, Eventual consistency) model, which provides eventual consistency rather than immediate consistency.
Cassandra’s use in large-scale distributed environments, like those at Netflix, demonstrates its capability to handle massive data workloads.
- Couchbase
Couchbase is another NoSQL database that prioritizes performance and scalability. It provides eventual consistency and is designed for distributed environments.
Couchbase is widely adopted in real-time web and mobile applications, providing rapid data access and flexibility.
- DynamoDB
Amazon DynamoDB is a fully managed NoSQL database service that offers high scalability. It follows the BASE model and provides eventual consistency, making it suitable for applications requiring high throughput and low latency.
Amazon reported that DynamoDB handles more than 20 million requests per second, showcasing its ability to scale for large-scale applications.
Real-World Examples
To further illustrate the importance of ACID compliance, let’s look at some real-world scenarios:
- E-commerce Transactions
In an e-commerce platform, a user adds items to their cart and proceeds to checkout. The transaction involves multiple steps, such as verifying inventory, updating the inventory count, and processing payment.
ACID compliance ensures that if any step fails, the entire transaction is rolled back, preventing issues such as overselling or charging the customer without confirming the purchase.
- Banking Systems
In banking, transactions such as fund transfers, deposits, and withdrawals must be reliable. For instance, transferring funds between accounts involves debiting one account and crediting another.
ACID compliance ensures that these operations are atomic and consistent, and the changes are durable even in case of system failures.
- Flight Booking Systems
Booking a flight involves checking seat availability, reserving the seat, and processing payment. These operations must be isolated to prevent double booking and ensure that the booking is confirmed only if all steps are successfully completed.
ACID compliance guarantees the reliability and consistency of these transactions.
Building front ends on ACID-compliant and non-ACID-compliant databases
DronaHQ is a developer tool that simplifies the process of building frontends for both ACID-compliant and non-ACID-compliant databases.
Integrations with databases: DronaHQ seamlessly integrates with various databases, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and many more, allowing you to connect and interact with your data effortlessly.
Ready UI controls: The platform provides a library of ready-to-use UI controls that you can easily bind to your data, enabling rapid development of interactive and data-driven applications.
Self-hosting options: For businesses that require greater control over their data and infrastructure, DronaHQ offers self-hosting options, ensuring that you can deploy and manage the platform on your own servers.
Role-based access control (RBAC): DronaHQ includes robust RBAC features, allowing you to define and manage user permissions and access levels, ensuring that your application remains secure and compliant with organizational policies.
Get free 30-day trial of our buisness plan
DronaHQ, the most efficient way to build frontend on top of any database
Fun Facts and Humor
To lighten up the technical discussion, here are some fun facts and a bit of humor:
- Did you know that the term “ACID” was first coined by Theo Härder and Andreas Reuter in 1983? That’s over 40 years ago, making it older than some of the technologies we use daily!
- PostgreSQL, one of the most popular ACID-compliant databases, was first released in 1989. If it were a person, it would be old enough to legally drink in the United States.