Multiversion Concurrency Control
Multiversion Concurrency Control (MVCC) is a database concurrency control method that allows multiple transactions to access the same data simultaneously without locking, by maintaining multiple versions of each data item. It enables readers to see a consistent snapshot of the database at a specific point in time, while writers create new versions, improving performance in read-heavy workloads. This approach is widely used in relational and NoSQL databases to provide isolation levels like snapshot isolation and serializable snapshot isolation.
Developers should learn MVCC when working with databases that require high concurrency and low contention, such as in web applications with many concurrent reads and writes, or in systems needing consistent snapshots for analytics or reporting. It is essential for understanding how databases like PostgreSQL, Oracle, and MongoDB handle transactions without blocking, making it crucial for optimizing performance and ensuring data consistency in distributed or multi-user environments.