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Technical Vocabularyabbreviation · /ˈæsɪd/

ACID

In simple English

ACID properties are fundamental principles in database management systems and are critical for maintaining data integrity, especially in financial systems, e-commerce platforms, and any application where data accuracy is essential. When a database transaction follows ACID principles, you can trust that your data remains consistent and reliable, even if system failures occur during processing. In practice, engineers discuss ACID compliance when selecting databases, designing transaction logic, or debugging data inconsistencies. For example, traditional SQL databases like PostgreSQL and MySQL are ACID-compliant, while some NoSQL databases may sacrifice ACID guarantees for performance and scalability. Understanding ACID properties helps you make informed decisions about database architecture and troubleshoot data-related issues in production environments. The term is used both as a noun (We need ACID compliance) and as an adjective (An ACID-compliant database). When working on critical systems, engineers will often debate trade-offs between ACID guarantees and performance optimization.

Understand what ACID means in database systems and why it matters for data integrity

At a glanceCEFR C1
Commonness4/5
Versatility4/5
FormalityCasualFormalFormal
Spoken ↔ WrittenSpokenWrittenBoth
Directness ↔ DiplomaticDirectDiplomaticDirect
RegionUS and UK
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Say it like this

✓We need to ensure ACID compliance for this critical transaction
✓PostgreSQL provides strong ACID guarantees out of the box
✓ACID properties are essential for financial applications

Real examples

in a design review

"We should use a database with ACID guarantees for the payment processing module to prevent inconsistencies."

in a technical discussion

"MongoDB sacrifices some ACID properties for horizontal scalability, which may or may not be acceptable for our use case."

in a standup meeting

"We discovered the legacy system was not ACID-compliant, which explains why we had duplicate transactions last month."

Don't say this

Handle with care. ACID is strictly a database concept. Do not confuse it with the chemical meaning or use it outside database/transaction contexts. Non-technical people will not understand the acronym.

✕We need to acid the database before launch.
✓We need to ensure ACID compliance before launch.— ACID is an acronym referring to database properties, not a verb. You do not acid something; you ensure or maintain ACID compliance.
✕This database has acid properties.
✓This is an ACID-compliant database or This database follows ACID principles.— ACID is typically written in all capitals as an acronym. While grammatically correct, ACID-compliant or ACID-supporting is more natural in tech English.
✕We should acid our transactions.
✓We should ensure our transactions maintain ACID properties.— ACID cannot be used as a verb. You maintain, ensure, or guarantee ACID properties; you do not acid something.

Other forms

noun

ACID

"ACID is critical for database reliability."

adjective

ACID-compliant

"We selected an ACID-compliant database for our application."

noun

ACID properties

"The four ACID properties guarantee transaction integrity."

Often used with

ACID-compliantDescribes a database or system that follows all ACID principles
ACID propertiesRefers collectively to Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability
ACID guaranteesThe assurances a system provides regarding transaction reliability
ACID complianceThe state of adhering to ACID principles in database operations
ACID transactionA database operation that follows all four ACID properties

Similar words

transaction guaranteesA broader term that may encompass ACID and other reliability measures
data integrityDescribes the overall goal that ACID properties help achieve, but is not synonymous with ACID itself

Opposites

BASE (Basically Available, Soft state, Eventually consistent)eventual consistency

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Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Pick the most natural phrasing

1. Your team is choosing a database for a banking application. How do you phrase it?

Complete the sentence

2. PostgreSQL is _______ which makes it suitable for financial transactions. (use: ACID-compliant)

Spot the mistake

3. Which sentence uses ACID incorrectly?

Rewrite naturally

4. Rewrite this in natural tech English: 'The database must have the properties of being atomic, consistent, isolated, and durable.'

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "acid" in a standup this week?

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