Now it gets interesting! Multiple nodes need to coordinate and share broadcast messages. This is where we enter the land of distributed algorithms.
Multiple nodes receive broadcast messages
Nodes gossip messages to each other to ensure everyone has everything
Still handle read requests returning all known messages
Use topology information to optimize communication
Built a gossip protocol:
When a node receives a broadcast, it stores locally
Then forwards to all neighbor nodes
Neighbors store and forward to their neighbors
Eventually all nodes have all messages
Used the topology from Maelstrom to determine who to gossip with.
Message Loops: Nodes can forward the same message back and forth
Duplicate Handling: Same message might arrive via multiple paths
Network Efficiency: Don't want to spam the network
Deduplication: Only store and forward messages we haven't seen
Topology Awareness: Use provided network topology for efficient routing
Async Gossiping: Don't block the main handler while gossiping
Gossip protocols are simple but effective
Deduplication is crucial in distributed systems
Network topology matters for efficiency
Always handle failures gracefully (some gossip messages might fail)
This sets us up for the fault tolerance challenge - what happens when network partitions occur?
