What is the difference between ACID and BASE principles in NoSQL databases?

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What is the difference between ACID and BASE principles in NoSQL databases?

ACID and BASE are two different sets of principles that are used to describe the characteristics and behavior of databases, particularly in the context of NoSQL databases.

ACID stands for Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability. It is a set of principles that ensure reliability and integrity of data in traditional relational databases. Atomicity ensures that a transaction is treated as a single unit of work, either all of its operations are executed or none. Consistency ensures that the database remains in a valid state before and after the transaction. Isolation ensures that concurrent transactions do not interfere with each other. Durability ensures that once a transaction is committed, its changes are permanent and will survive any subsequent failures.

On the other hand, BASE stands for Basically Available, Soft state, Eventually consistent. It is a set of principles that focus on scalability and availability in distributed systems, which are common in NoSQL databases. Basically Available means that the system guarantees availability, even in the presence of failures or network partitions. Soft state means that the state of the system can change over time due to eventual consistency. Eventually consistent means that the system will eventually reach a consistent state, even if there are temporary inconsistencies between replicas.

In summary, ACID principles prioritize data integrity and consistency, while BASE principles prioritize availability and scalability in distributed systems. NoSQL databases often adopt BASE principles to handle large-scale data and high availability requirements, sacrificing some of the strict consistency guarantees provided by ACID.