# Watermarking

> Source: https://sukruyusufkaya.com/en/glossary/watermarking
> Updated: 2026-05-13T20:58:43.936Z
> Type: glossary
> Category: veri-muhendisligi-ve-ai-altyapisi
**TLDR:** A mechanism in stream systems that defines a tolerance boundary for time progression in order to manage late-arriving events.

<p>Watermarking is used in streaming systems to finalize computations without waiting forever for late events. The system defines a point beyond which incoming events are considered too late. This mechanism creates an engineering balance between real-time output and historical correctness. In window-based stream analytics, producing consistent results is difficult without watermarking.</p>