= Abstract
Raft is a consensus algorithm for managing a replicated log. It produces a result equivalent to (multi-)Paxos, and it is as efficient as Paxos, but its structure is different from Paxos; this makes Raft more understandable than Paxos and also provides a better foundation for build- ing practical systems. In order to enhance understandabil- ity, Raft separates the key elements of consensus, such as leader election, log replication, and safety, and it enforces a stronger degree of coherency to reduce the number of states that must be considered. Results from a user study demonstrate that Raft is easier for students to learn than Paxos. Raft also includes a new mechanism for changing the cluster membership, which uses overlapping majori- ties to guarantee safety.

https://ramcloud.stanford.edu/wiki/download/attachments/11370504/raft.pdf

Diego Ongaro and John Ousterhout Stanford University

= More Resources

- http://raftconsensus.github.io/

- RubyConf talk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsPxhZ2IsWw