Linearizability and the Single-Copy Illusion

This generated surface maps a learner-facing curriculum unit to its canonical source routes.

Curriculum surface

• Open learner-facing unit
• Curriculum path: content/curriculum/architecture/semester-06-databases-distributed/module-04-transactions-consistency/concepts/cluster-05-consistency-models/13-linearizability-and-the-single-copy-illusion-primary.md
• App: architecture
• Semester: semester-06-databases-distributed
• Module: module-04-transactions-consistency
• Unit kind: concept
• Curation level: module_curated

Learning objectives

• Explain Linearizability and the Single-Copy Illusion using the language of guarantees, anomalies, and implementation costs rather than vague “strong vs weak” intuition.
• Use Linearizability and the Single-Copy Illusion to reason about what a database actually promises under concurrency and failure.
• Use database-internals, ddia to connect the learner-facing model to isolation, recovery, distributed coordination, and real failure modes.

Prerequisites

• Comfort with relational data modeling and the basic mechanics of storage engines and replication.

Source books

• database-internals
• ddia

Source routes

Database Internals

• /books/database-internals/chapter-11-replication-and-consistency via Database Internals: Linearizability

Ddia

• /books/ddia/chapter-09-consistency-and-consensus via DDIA: Implementing linearizable systems, DDIA: Linearizability, DDIA: Relying on linearizability, DDIA: The cost of linearizability, DDIA: What makes a system linearizable (part 1), DDIA: What makes a system linearizable (part 2)

Supporting curriculum routes

No supporting curriculum routes linked yet.

External enrichment

• PostgreSQL Documentation: Transaction Isolation (official_docs_companion) - Anchors anomaly and isolation discussions in a concrete implementation instead of abstract labels alone.
• CockroachDB: Transaction Layer Architecture (optional_deep_dive) - Useful when the learner wants to see how transactional guarantees change under a distributed SQL architecture.

AI companion modes

• Explain simply
• Socratic tutor
• Challenge my understanding
• Diagnose my confusion
• Connect forward / backward

Source-of-truth note

This teaching unit is learner-facing guidance assembled from multiple canonical book routes. Use the listed source books as the primary conceptual spine for Linearizability and the Single-Copy Illusion, and treat outside material as supporting enrichment only.