F1

TLDR

F1 is a distributed relational database system built at Google to support AdWords, combining high availability and NoSQL‑style scalability with SQL‑level consistency and usability. Built on Spanner’s synchronous cross‑datacenter replication, F1 mitigates commit latency with a hierarchical schema, structured types, and smart application design, and provides a distributed SQL query engine with automatic change tracking and publishing.

Abstract

F1 is a distributed relational database system built at Google to support the AdWords business. F1 is a hybrid database that combines high availability, the scalability of NoSQL systems like Bigtable, and the consistency and usability of traditional SQL databases. F1 is built on Spanner, which provides synchronous cross-datacenter replication and strong consistency. Synchronous replication implies higher commit latency, but we mitigate that latency by using a hierarchical schema model with structured data types and through smart application design. F1 also includes a fully functional distributed SQL query engine and automatic change tracking and publishing.