# Database Locking Mechanisms

DevFeed: [Database Locking Mechanisms](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/database-locking-mechanisms-34675.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://newsletter.systemdesigncodex.com/p/database-locking-mechanisms>)

Author: Saurabh Dashora

Published: 2026-05-19T06:27:39Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [System Design Codex](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/system-design-codex.md>)

Topics: [Databases](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/databases.md>), [Concurrency](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/concurrency.md>), [Deadlock](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/deadlock.md>), [Transactions](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/transactions.md>), [SQL](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/sql.md>), [Object-relational mapping](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/orm.md>)

Tags: [concurrency](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/concurrency.md>), [consistency](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/consistency.md>), [database](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/database.md>), [hibernate](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/hibernate.md>), [locking](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/locking.md>), [locks](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/locks.md>), [optimistic-locking](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/optimistic-locking.md>), [sql](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/sql.md>), [transactions](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/transactions.md>)

## AI overview

This tutorial compares pessimistic and optimistic locking for maintaining data consistency in multi-user applications. Pessimistic locking acquires locks before updates, while optimistic locking detects conflicts at commit time using version numbers or timestamps. The article explains their trade-offs in concurrency, performance, deadlocks, and consistency, and outlines suitable use cases.

## Source excerpt

Pessimistic vs Optimistic