Gossip Protocol

What is the Gossip Protocol?

A communication protocol where nodes randomly share information with other nodes, spreading updates like gossip.

Why is it called "Gossip" protocol?

Because the way information spreads mimics how rumors or gossip spreads in social networks.

What is the main use of gossip protocols?

To achieve eventual consistency and failure detection in distributed systems.

How does gossip protocol improve scalability?

Each node communicates with a few peers, reducing overall network traffic and allowing systems to grow.

What are the two common types of gossip messages?

State dissemination and failure detection.

How often do nodes communicate in gossip protocols?

Periodically, based on a configured heartbeat interval.

What is epidemic-style replication?

Spreading updates from node to node in a way similar to the spread of viruses.

What is the advantage of gossip protocols over centralized systems?

No single point of failure and better fault tolerance.

What is fanout in gossip protocols?

The number of peers a node gossips with during each round.

What happens if a node fails in a gossip protocol?

Other nodes eventually detect the failure through indirect gossip.

What is anti-entropy in gossip protocols?

A process to resolve inconsistencies between node states by reconciling data differences.

What is convergence in gossip protocols?

The state where all nodes have consistent and up-to-date information.

Which systems use gossip protocols?

Cassandra, DynamoDB, Consul, and other distributed databases and service discovery tools.

What is the time complexity for information spread in gossip protocols?

O(log N) rounds to reach all nodes, where N is the number of nodes.

Are gossip protocols suitable for real-time consistency?

No, they are designed for eventual consistency, not strong consistency.