Two-Phase Locking
Two-Phase Locking (2PL) is a concurrency control mechanism used in database systems to ensure serializability of transactions. It requires that all lock acquisitions occur in a growing phase before any lock releases in a shrinking phase, preventing conflicts like dirty reads, lost updates, and unrepeatable reads. This protocol guarantees that concurrent transactions execute in a way equivalent to some serial order, maintaining data consistency.
Developers should learn Two-Phase Locking when working on database-driven applications that require high data integrity under concurrent access, such as financial systems, inventory management, or e-commerce platforms. It is essential for implementing ACID properties, particularly isolation, to prevent race conditions and ensure reliable transaction processing in multi-user environments.