Introduction to Choreographies

This is the first rigorous and systematic treatment of choreographies, an increasingly central topic in the development of computer systems based on communication. With numerous examples and exercises throughout, this is an ideal introductory text for students, researchers, and professionals in computer science and applied mathematics.

In concurrent and distributed systems, processes can complete tasks together by playing their parts in a joint plan. The plan, or protocol, can be written as a choreography: a formal description of overall behaviour that processes should collaborate to implement, like authenticating a user or purchasing an item online. Formality brings clarity, but not only that: choreographies can contribute to important safety and liveness properties. This book is an ideal introduction to theory of choreographies for students, researchers, and professionals in computer science and applied mathematics. It covers languages for writing choreographies, their semantics, and principles for implementing choreographies correctly. The text treats the study of choreographies as a discipline in its own right, following a systematic approach that starts from simple foundations and proceeds to more advanced features in incremental steps. Each chapter includes examples and exercises aimed at helping with understanding the theory and its relation to practice.