Single Leader Architecture
Single Leader Architecture is a design pattern in distributed systems where one node (the leader) is designated to handle all write operations and coordinate data consistency, while other nodes (followers or replicas) replicate data from the leader and handle read operations. This approach ensures strong consistency by centralizing write authority, preventing conflicts that can arise in multi-leader or leaderless systems. It is commonly used in databases, consensus algorithms, and replicated storage systems to maintain data integrity and simplify synchronization.
Developers should learn and use Single Leader Architecture when building systems that require strong consistency, such as financial applications, inventory management, or any scenario where data accuracy is critical and write conflicts must be avoided. It is particularly useful in distributed databases like PostgreSQL with streaming replication or in consensus protocols like Raft, where it simplifies failure handling and ensures that all nodes agree on a single source of truth for writes.