Optimistic Concurrency

Optimistic concurrency is a concurrency control method used in database and distributed systems that assumes conflicts between transactions are rare. It allows multiple transactions to proceed without locking resources, checking for conflicts only at commit time. If a conflict is detected, the transaction is rolled back and must be retried.

Also known as: Optimistic Locking, Optimistic Concurrency Control, OCC, Version-Based Concurrency, Optimistic Transaction

Why learn Optimistic Concurrency?

Developers should use optimistic concurrency in high-read, low-write scenarios where conflicts are infrequent, such as web applications with many concurrent users reading data. It improves performance by avoiding locks, reducing contention, and increasing throughput, making it ideal for scalable systems like e-commerce platforms or social media feeds.

Learning Resources

• docs: Optimistic Concurrency Control - Wikipedia
• tutorial: Optimistic vs. Pessimistic Locking - Baeldung
• course: Concurrency Control in Databases - Coursera Course
• video: Optimistic Concurrency Explained - YouTube Video
• book: Designing Data-Intensive Applications Book (Chapter on Transactions)