What are the three pillars of distributed systems?

1. Consistency

Ensures that all nodes in the distributed system have the same data view, even in the presence of updates. This means that every read operation reflects the most recent write, providing a uniform and predictable behavior across the system.

2. Availability

Guarantees that every request made to the system receives a response, even if some nodes are unavailable. This ensures the system remains operational and serves client requests without downtime.

3. Partition Tolerance

Ensures the system continues to function correctly even when communication between nodes is disrupted or fails. This is critical for maintaining reliability in the presence of network failures or partitioning.

These pillars are encapsulated in the CAP Theorem, which states that a distributed system can achieve at most two of these three properties simultaneously. Understanding these trade-offs is essential for designing efficient and reliable distributed systems.