{
  "slug": "txfs",
  "term": "TxFS",
  "aliases": [
    "Texas Transactional File System"
  ],
  "definition": "TxFS is a research filesystem that extends ext4 journaling with application-visible transactions and private state for isolation.",
  "note": "The ATC 2018 design uses repeatable-read isolation and fits each user transaction into one journal transaction. Nested transactions flatten into one outcome. [txfs-paper]\n\nThe prototype limits each transaction to one process and one quarter of journal capacity. Filesystem isolation does not synchronize application memory. [txfs-followup]\n\nIn the pinned do_fsync path, an active filesystem transaction returns success before calling vfs_fsync. That call is not an independent persistence boundary; the transaction outcome still matters. [txfs-sync]\n\nThe released tree contains a modified Linux 3.18.22 kernel and microbenchmarks. It is not a stock-ext4 mount option. [txfs-repo]",
  "status": "research",
  "advantages": [],
  "limitations": [],
  "related": [
    "ext4"
  ],
  "supersedes": [],
  "supersededBy": [],
  "firstSeen": null,
  "lastSeen": null,
  "updated": "2026-11-14",
  "citations": [
    {
      "id": "txfs-paper",
      "title": "Hu et al. TxFS. USENIX ATC 2018, pp.879-891, sections 3.1-3.5 and 5.",
      "url": "https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~vijay/papers/atc18-txfs.pdf",
      "accessed": "2026-11-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "txfs-followup",
      "title": "Hu et al. TxFS. ;login: Fall 2018, pp.12-15, isolation and limitations.",
      "url": "https://www.usenix.org/system/files/login/articles/login_fall18_03_hu.pdf",
      "accessed": "2026-11-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "txfs-sync",
      "title": "TxFS f3f597d: fs/sync.c, do_fsync transaction early return.",
      "url": "https://github.com/ut-osa/txfs/blob/f3f597db5e3e9d5f59cb45b6bdb5a10f61a05f9e/linux-3.18.22-mod/fs/sync.c#L203-L226",
      "accessed": "2026-11-14"
    },
    {
      "id": "txfs-repo",
      "title": "TxFS f3f597d: research kernel and released benchmark scope.",
      "url": "https://github.com/ut-osa/txfs/tree/f3f597db5e3e9d5f59cb45b6bdb5a10f61a05f9e",
      "accessed": "2026-11-14"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": [
    "Primary-source synthesis and pinned-code inspection; no kernel execution, crash injection or performance reproduction."
  ]
}