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Software Engineering Concept

Last-Writer-Wins Register

Depends on JourneySoftware engineering Statuslearning Tags
  • collaboration
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A CRDT that holds a single value. On conflict, the most recent write wins.

How It Works ​

  • Each update carries a value, a timestamp, and a peer ID.

  • The register's value is determined by the latest update.

  • Peer ID breaks ties when timestamps are equal.

  • In a client-server setup, the server defines ordering, so timestamps are not needed (as in Figma and GitHub Contents API).

Where It Appears ​

  • Figma: Each (ObjectID, Property) pair is a last-writer-wins register. The server defines the order.

  • GitHub Contents API: The sha field acts as a version check, but the underlying model is last-writer-wins on the whole file.

  • ETags in REST APIs: The server's current ETag is the "latest value."