Transaction Logging
Transaction logging is a database and system design concept that involves recording all changes to data in a persistent log file before applying them to the main database. It ensures data integrity, supports recovery from failures, and enables features like replication and auditing. This technique is fundamental to ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) compliance in database systems.
Developers should learn transaction logging when building or maintaining systems that require high reliability, such as financial applications, e-commerce platforms, or any service where data consistency is critical. It is essential for implementing rollback mechanisms, point-in-time recovery, and distributed transactions, as it allows systems to reconstruct state after crashes or errors by replaying logged operations.