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answer: direct
beat: system-design
source: 1 article · updated: August 17, 2026
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What is read amplification and how do Bloom filters fix it?

Read amplification occurs when a single lookup must search many SSTables across multiple levels before finding the key (or confirming its absence). A Bloom filter is a probabilistic data structure that can definitively say a key is NOT in an SSTable with no disk I/O; it eliminates false positives but allows false negatives.

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LSM-Trees vs B-Trees: Why Cassandra Chose Sequential Writes

B-trees seek random disk positions. LSM-trees buffer in memory and flush sequentially, converting random I/O into sequential writes for millions of ops/sec.

Crashtech Editorial August 17, 2026 System Design & Architecture

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