Data replication can work in two ways: either the creation of a single copy of the existing data, or a continuous process. If data is replicated once, then the process simply ends there. However, the most common type of data replication is ongoing replication, which allows for the updates of the copies as the original changes.
Data is most often stored by being distributed among various different systems. Within the various systems, data gets separated into fragments and each fragment is stored on a different node. How data replication works is by gathering these fragments that are spread out in different places and making a replica of them that is then sent to a different server. Thus, a user can ensure not only that their data is secured and that if a fragment on the original fails, there will be a copy of it, but that a replica will be available to other users who may use different sources to access the data.
There are different types of data replication, including:
Full-table
Key-based
Log-based
Snapshot
Merge
In order to replicate data, users may rely on a variety of data replication software, specialized for their needs and for the type of replication that they want to perform.