nrml
Distributed SystemsPro problem

Rebuild State from Out-of-Order Events

Handle duplicate deliveries, stale versions, and tombstones in a projection service.

The scenario

Handle duplicate deliveries, stale versions, and tombstones in a projection service.

A failure to reason about

An old update arrives after a deletion and unintentionally brings a removed item back into a projection.

Illustrative context for the topic. The exercise’s full requirements arrive in the workspace.

Questions to bring to your review

  • Which caller makes the reported behavior visible?
  • What focused regression would distinguish the current behavior from the requirement?
  • What existing behavior must remain intact after the change?

Skills you will practice

  • Event sourcing
  • Ordering
  • Idempotency

Read the existing code, reproduce the reported behavior, review proposed changes, and verify your final implementation. You can use AI assistance while staying responsible for the result.

Prepare with a worked example

See how nrml evaluates an attempt, including the limits of automated evidence.