{"id":"lsm-newest-first-read-path","text":"`get()` searches memtable, then immutable memtables, then SSTables in reverse-seq order (newest first), returning the first match; this guarantees newer writes shadow older ones without scanning all levels.","truth_value":"IN","source":"entries/2026/05/28/log-structured-merge-tree-lsm.md","source_url":"","source_hash":"","justifications":[],"dependents":[],"metadata":{"example":"if key in self._memtable:\n    return self._memtable[key]  # check memtable first\nfor sst in reversed(self._sstables):  # newest SSTable first\n    val = sst.get(key)\n    if val is not None: return val"},"explanation":{"steps":[{"node":"lsm-newest-first-read-path","truth_value":"IN","reason":"premise"}]}}