Can you explain the concept of a slave in the context of database replication?

In the context of database replication, a "slave" is a server or node that receives a copy of the data from the primary server (master) and keeps it up to date.

Main points:

• A slave usually does not accept writes directly, only reads data.
• Replication occurs asynchronously or synchronously, depending on the configuration.
• A slave is used to distribute read load and improve fault tolerance.

Example: in MySQL, the master accepts write requests, while slaves receive updates and handle read requests.