Provided are systems and methods for managing asynchronous replication in a distributed database environment, wherein a cluster of nodes are assigned roles for processing database requests. In one embodiment, the system provides a node with a primary role to process write operations against its database, generate an operation log reflecting the processed operations, and permit asynchronous replication of the operations to at least one secondary node. In another embodiment, the primary node is the only node configured to accept write operations. Both primary and secondary nodes can process read operations. Although in some to settings read requests can be restricted to secondary nodes or the primary node. In one embodiment, the systems and methods provide for automatic failover of the primary node role, can include a consensus election protocol for identifying the next primary node. Further, the systems and methods can be configured to automatically reintegrate a failed primary node.