When Imperfect Systems are Good, Actually: Bluesky’s Lossy Timelines

Bluesky implemented a 'Lossy Timelines' system to improve performance by intentionally dropping some timeline updates for users who follow many accounts. This solution reduced fanout latency by 96% and eliminated hot shard issues in their database clusters. The approach demonstrates how embracing imperfection in system design can lead to better scalability and performance.