From Paxos to Raft – A Simpler Approach to Distributed Consensus Algorithms
Consensus algorithms are essential for ensuring reliability in distributed systems, allowing multiple machines to maintain a consistent state. While the Paxos consensus algorithm has been widely used, its complexity makes implementation difficult. The Raft consensus algorithm was designed to simplify distributed consensus while maintaining fault tolerance and high performance. This video explores how Raft improves leader election, log replication, and overall efficiency in distributed computing.
The Challenge of Consensus in Distributed Systems
Distributed systems require a way to ensure all nodes agree on a single source of truth. Traditional databases introduce performance challenges, particularly in high-speed industries like finance and gaming. Consensus algorithms, such as Paxos and Raft, enable reliable, database-free state management, ensuring resilience and rapid data recovery.
Raft: A Simpler Alternative to Paxos
Raft was developed to address Paxos’s complexity while maintaining the same reliability guarantees. It introduces a clear structure with leader election and log replication, making it easier to implement and understand. Studies have shown that Raft’s design significantly improves the learning curve for developers compared to Paxos.
Optimizing Raft for High Performance
While Raft’s design is straightforward, real-world implementation demands careful handling of edge cases. Using remote procedure calls (RPCs), Raft manages elections and log synchronization, but naive implementations can introduce latency. Adopting pipelining techniques, similar to CPU instruction pipelines, boosts performance by allowing concurrent operations and minimizing delays.
The Future of Consensus Algorithms
The evolution from Paxos to Raft highlights the ongoing refinement of distributed consensus. Innovations like byte indexing and parallel processing continue to improve efficiency. As distributed systems grow in complexity, the need for both understandable and high-performance consensus mechanisms remains crucial to building scalable, fault-tolerant architectures.

Martin Thompson
Creator of Aeron & Co-Founder
Martin is a Java Champion with 30+ years of experience building complex and high-performance computing systems. He is most recently known for his work on Aeron and SBE. Previously at LMAX he was the co-founder and CTO when he created the Disruptor. Prior to LMAX Martin worked for Betfair, content companies with the world’s largest catalogues, and some of the most significant C++ and Java systems of the 1990s.
He can be found giving training courses on performance and concurrency, and distributed systems when he is not cutting code to make systems better. Twitter: @mjpt777