FLP Impossibility
Understand the FLP Impossibility theorem, which proves that in asynchronous distributed systems, no deterministic consensus algorithm can guarantee agreement, termination, and fault tolerance simultaneously. Learn about the implications for distributed databases and how consensus algorithms adapt by relaxing some constraints.
We'll cover the following...
We'll cover the following...
The FLP (Fischer, Lynch, and Paterson) Impossibility theorem is a fundamental theorem in distributed system consensus. It states: “In an asynchronous system, it is impossible to design a deterministic consensus algorithm that can satisfy agreement, termination, and fault tolerance.”
Before we go further into the FLP impossibility theorem, let’s quickly recap consensus and its properties.