Masterdriven

Masterdriven is a term used in computing to describe architectures or processes in which a central component, the master, directs the actions of subordinate components. The master issues commands, schedules work, and coordinates data flow to achieve unified behavior across the system.

In software engineering, masterdriven designs center orchestration on a master controller that assigns tasks to workers, aggregates results, and enforces ordering. This can simplify coordination and fault handling, but it may introduce a single point of failure or bottlenecks if scalability and redundancy are not addressed, typically by using asynchronous messaging or distributed deployment.

In databases and data replication, a master-driven model designates a primary node that accepts writes and propagates updates to replicas. While straightforward for consistency, it can limit write throughput and increase latency, prompting alternative approaches such as multi-master or leaderless replication.

In robotics and automation, a master controller can drive multiple actuators and subsystems, providing centralized decision making and monitoring. The pattern offers clear coordination but requires careful latency management and robust fault handling to avoid cascading failures.

Terminology considerations have led many teams to prefer neutral labels such as primary, coordinator, or leader instead of 'master.' While this change can reduce misinterpretation, it does not by itself solve architectural challenges such as contention, coupling, or scalability, which must be addressed through design choices.

See also: master-slave architecture, coordinator/worker pattern, leader election, primary/secondary terminology.