{"id":"stcs-merges-within-size-tiers","text":"Size-tiered compaction only merges SSTables in the same size tier (determined by `_get_tier()` comparing `file_size` against `_size_thresholds`); it never merges a small SSTable directly with a much larger one.","truth_value":"IN","source":"entries/2026/05/29/sstable-and-compaction-sstable-_stcs_compact.md","source_url":"","source_hash":"","justifications":[],"dependents":[],"metadata":{},"explanation":{"steps":[{"node":"stcs-merges-within-size-tiers","truth_value":"IN","reason":"premise"}]}}