Abstract: From the enterprise cloud to robot swarms, distributed systems are everywhere. However, because these systems are realized through the careful coupling of disparate technologies (e.g., databases, messaging systems, and application runtimes), they are difficult to create and maintain—even for experienced engineers. This is a problem because the engineers of these systems have to work harder, be better trained, and thus cost more to employ, making it harder to create new products and inventions. A solution herein is a Data Backbone that provides a single medium for processing, storing, and sharing data in near-real-time. By combining these features into a single medium, the Data Backbone consolidates the functionality of several disparate tools into one system.