When Imperfect Systems are Good, Actually: Bluesky’s Lossy Timelines
Some interesting implementation details on how Bluesky handles updating timelines with low latency even for users following hundred of thousands of others by essentially dropping some updates.
By specifying the limits of reasonable user behavior and embracing imperfection for users who go beyond it, we can continue to provide service that meets the expectations of users without sacrificing scalability of the system.