What is Erasure Encoding?

Erasure encoding is used in computer science to separate data into encoded fragments (data blocks) so they can be sent securely to another location in the system. Erasure encoding often allows data to be expanded and encoded along with unwanted data so it can be stored in different locations to preserve the most important information. In the event that a database is damaged or corrupted, erasure encoding can help allow encoded fragments of data to be saved so they are not permanently lost.