{
  "status": "unknown",
  "advantages": [],
  "limitations": [],
  "supersedes": [],
  "supersededBy": [],
  "firstSeen": null,
  "lastSeen": null,
  "updated": "2026-11-10",
  "slug": "escrow-transactions",
  "term": "Escrow transactions",
  "aliases": [
    "Escrow transactional method"
  ],
  "definition": "Escrow transactions reserve part of a resource so compatible updates can proceed concurrently while preserving specified bounds.",
  "note": "Reservation: A successful request sets aside a quantity for later use. Commit returns unused reservations; abort returns the reserved quantity. Acceptance must remain safe across the allowed commit and abort outcomes of other transactions. [escrow-1986]\n\nRecovery: A recoverable reservation is not a commit. After recovery, the transaction can still abort. The original method distinguishes reservation, use and recovery obligations. [escrow-1986]",
  "related": [
    "bounded-counter",
    "invariant-confluence",
    "serializability"
  ],
  "citations": [
    {
      "id": "escrow-1986",
      "title": "O'Neil. The Escrow Transactional Method. ACM TODS 11(4), 405-430 (1986), sections 1.4 and 2.",
      "url": "https://www.cs.umb.edu/~poneil/EscrowTM.pdf",
      "accessed": "2026-11-10"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": [
    "Historical primary-source review; this concurrency-control mechanism is distinct from cryptographic key escrow."
  ]
}