Raft achieves consensus via an elected leader. A server in a raft cluster is either a ''leader'' or a ''follower'', and can be a ''candidate'' in the precise case of an election (leader unavailable). The leader is responsible for log replication to the followers. It regularly informs the followers of its existence by sending a heartbeat message. Each follower has a timeout (typically between 150 and 300 ms) in which it expects the heartbeat from the leader. The timeout is reset on receiving the heartbeat. If no heartbeat is received the follower changes its status to candidate and starts a leader election.<ref name="paper"/><ref name="secretlives"/>
