Jepsen: ParticleDB 1.1.4(jepsen.io)
282 points by aphyr 23 hours ago | 161 comments
tl;dr: Jepsen tested ParticleDB, a Rust-based multi-model database marketed as "Full ACID" and "formally proven," and uncovered 96 bugs across versions 1.1.4–1.1.18.11.rc-22, most occurring on a single node with a single client and no faults. Issues ranged from crashes, deadlocks, and lost writes to broken predicates (e.g., `WHERE 4 = 5` matching rows), ignored NOT NULL/UNIQUE constraints, undeletable "zombie" rows, dropped tables resurrecting with mangled data, and silent type coercion. Even in the latest tested version, the default OCC mode lost committed writes and the "serializable" mode permitted Lost Update anomalies.
HN Discussion:
  • ↑Shock and dismay at the severity and absurdity of the bugs found
  • ↑Attributes the failures to the database being vibe-coded by AI
  • ↑Criticizes false marketing claims about formal TLA+ proofs
  • ↑Questions why developers hired Jepsen before doing basic internal testing
  • •Philosophical reflection on correct-by-construction vs incorrect-by-construction software design