Sequential Consistency
Sequential consistency is a memory consistency model used in concurrent and distributed computing that ensures all operations (reads and writes) appear to execute in a single total order that is consistent with the program order of each individual process. This means that the result of any execution is the same as if the operations of all processes were executed in some sequential order, and the operations of each individual process appear in this sequence in the order specified by its program. It provides a strong guarantee that simplifies reasoning about concurrent programs by making them behave as if they were executed on a single processor.
Developers should learn and apply sequential consistency when designing or analyzing concurrent systems, such as multi-threaded applications, distributed databases, or parallel algorithms, where predictable and intuitive behavior is critical for correctness and debugging. It is particularly useful in scenarios requiring strict ordering of operations, like financial transactions or real-time systems, to avoid race conditions and ensure data integrity without the complexity of weaker consistency models.