Is it possible to ensure transaction isolation in systems operating in a distributed environment?

Yes, transaction isolation can be ensured in distributed systems as well, but it is significantly more complex than in local databases. Protocols for distributed transaction management are used for this purpose, such as the two-phase commit (2PC).

In the two-phase commit, the transaction coordinator first requests all participants to prepare for commit, and if everyone agrees, it sends a commit command in the second phase. This ensures consistency and isolation of transactions even in distributed data storage.

However, due to network delays and possible failures, such mechanisms can reduce performance and complicate architecture. Therefore, compromises or alternative approaches are often used, such as the saga pattern for managing distributed transactions with compensating operations.