Paxos consensus algorithm

E105793

consensus algorithm distributed algorithm fault-tolerant protocol

The Paxos consensus algorithm is a fault-tolerant protocol for achieving agreement among distributed systems, widely used as a foundation for reliable, replicated state machines and modern distributed databases.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Disambiguation Statements Elicitation Referenced by

All labels observed (10)

Label	Occurrences
Paxos	4
Paxos consensus algorithm canonical	4
Paxos Made Simple	2
Cheap Paxos	1
Fast Paxos	1
Generalized Paxos	1
Multi-Paxos	1
Vertical Paxos	1
Viewstamped Replication	1
Viewstamped Replication (revisited)	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T886642 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Paxos consensus algorithm
Context triple: [Leslie Lamport, knownFor, Paxos consensus algorithm]

A. Paxos
Paxos is a small Greek island in the Ionian Sea, known for its clear turquoise waters, olive groves, and tranquil, less-touristed atmosphere.
B. Algorand blockchain protocol
Algorand blockchain protocol is a scalable, secure, and energy-efficient public blockchain platform designed by cryptographer Silvio Micali that uses a pure proof-of-stake consensus mechanism.
C. Merkle
Merkle is a surname most prominently associated with Ralph Merkle, a pioneering computer scientist and cryptographer known for his foundational work in public-key cryptography and Merkle trees.
D. Merkle puzzles
Merkle puzzles are an early cryptographic protocol that introduced the concept of public-key exchange by allowing two parties to establish a shared secret over an insecure channel using computationally asymmetric “puzzle” problems.
E. Jepsen
Jepsen is a surname most notably associated with individuals such as display technology innovator Mary Lou Jepsen.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Paxos consensus algorithm
Target entity description: The Paxos consensus algorithm is a fault-tolerant protocol for achieving agreement among distributed systems, widely used as a foundation for reliable, replicated state machines and modern distributed databases.

A. Paxos
Paxos is a small Greek island in the Ionian Sea, known for its clear turquoise waters, olive groves, and tranquil, less-touristed atmosphere.
B. Algorand blockchain protocol
Algorand blockchain protocol is a scalable, secure, and energy-efficient public blockchain platform designed by cryptographer Silvio Micali that uses a pure proof-of-stake consensus mechanism.
C. Merkle
Merkle is a surname most prominently associated with Ralph Merkle, a pioneering computer scientist and cryptographer known for his foundational work in public-key cryptography and Merkle trees.
D. Merkle puzzles
Merkle puzzles are an early cryptographic protocol that introduced the concept of public-key exchange by allowing two parties to establish a shared secret over an insecure channel using computationally asymmetric “puzzle” problems.
E. Jepsen
Jepsen is a surname most notably associated with individuals such as display technology innovator Mary Lou Jepsen.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	consensus algorithm ⓘ distributed algorithm ⓘ fault-tolerant protocol ⓘ
application	distributed databases ⓘ distributed lock services ⓘ metadata management in distributed file systems ⓘ replicated state machines ⓘ
assumes	non-Byzantine failures ⓘ reliable local storage on each node ⓘ
basedOn	quorum intersection ⓘ
category	quorum-based protocol ⓘ
complexity	often considered difficult to understand ⓘ
correctnessProvedBy	Leslie Lamport ⓘ
describedIn	The Part-Time Parliament ⓘ linked to: "The Part-Time Parliament"
designedBy	Leslie Lamport ⓘ
firstPublishedYear	1998 ⓘ
formalization	state-machine replication framework ⓘ
guarantees	linearizable decisions when used correctly ⓘ single value chosen per instance ⓘ
influenced	Raft consensus algorithm ⓘ Viewstamped Replication (revisited) ⓘ linked to: Paxos consensus algorithm
livenessProperty	eventual decision under sufficient synchrony ⓘ
messagePattern	two-round protocol in basic form ⓘ
nameOrigin	island of Paxos in Greece ⓘ
operatesIn	asynchronous distributed system ⓘ
phase	accept phase ⓘ prepare phase ⓘ
primaryGoal	ensure consistency of replicated state ⓘ reach consensus among distributed processes ⓘ
property	leader can be elected implicitly via proposers ⓘ progress depends on a stable leader in Multi-Paxos ⓘ
requires	majority of nodes to be correct ⓘ
safetyProperty	never returns conflicting decisions ⓘ
tolerates	crash failures ⓘ message loss ⓘ message reordering ⓘ
usedIn	Apache ZooKeeper (inspired design) ⓘ linked to: Apache ZooKeeper Google Chubby lock service ⓘ linked to: Apache ZooKeeper Google Spanner ⓘ linked to: Cloud Spanner Microsoft Azure storage systems ⓘ linked to: Azure
usesRole	acceptor ⓘ learner ⓘ proposer ⓘ
variant	Cheap Paxos ⓘ linked to: Paxos consensus algorithm Fast Paxos ⓘ linked to: Paxos consensus algorithm Generalized Paxos ⓘ linked to: Paxos consensus algorithm Multi-Paxos ⓘ linked to: Paxos consensus algorithm Vertical Paxos ⓘ linked to: Paxos consensus algorithm

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (17)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Leslie Lamport → knownFor → Paxos consensus algorithm ⓘ

Leslie Lamport → developed → Paxos consensus algorithm ⓘ

Paxos consensus algorithm → influenced → Viewstamped Replication (revisited) ⓘ