Key permission distribution

A non-transitory computer readable medium having program instructions stored thereon that are executable by a database system to cause the database system to perform operations comprising:

• distributing first permission information to a plurality of database nodes of the database system, wherein the first permission information identifies a distribution of key range permissions to ones of the plurality of database nodes, and wherein a given key range permission being distributed to a given database node permits the given database node to write records whose keys fall within a key range associated with the given key range permission;
• receiving, from a first database node, a permission request for a first key range permission provisioned to a second database node;
• modifying the first permission information to derive second permission information that provisions the first key range permission to the first database node instead of the second database node;
• and
• distributing the second permission information to ones of the plurality of database nodes.

A method, comprising:

• provisioning, by a permission orchestrator database node of a database system, a first key range permission to a first worker database node of the database system, wherein the first key range permission permits records to be written whose keys fall within a first key range associated with the first key range permission;
• receiving, by the permission orchestrator database node from a second worker database node of the database system, a permission request for a second key range permission that is associated with a second key range encompassed by the first key range;
• in response to receiving the permission request, the permission orchestrator database node causing the first worker database node to relinquish at least a portion of the first key range permission;
• and
• subsequent to the first worker database node relinquishing at least a portion of the first key range permission, the permission orchestrator database node provisioning the second key range permission to the second worker database node.