Which Linux IPC technique to use?

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When selecting your IPC you should consider causes for performance differences including transfer buffer sizes, data transfer mechanisms, memory allocation schemes, locking mechanism implementations, and even code complexity.

Of the available IPC mechanisms, the choice for performance often comes down to Unix domain sockets or named pipes (FIFOs). I read a paper on Performance Analysis of Various Mechanisms for Inter-process Communication that indicates Unix domain sockets for IPC may provide the best performance. I have seen conflicting results elsewhere which indicate pipes may be better.

When sending small amounts of data, I prefer named pipes (FIFOs) for their simplicity. This requires a pair of named pipes for bi-directional communication. Unix domain sockets take a bit more overhead to setup (socket creation, initialization and connection), but are more flexible and may offer better performance (higher throughput).

You may need to run some benchmarks for your specific application/environment to determine what will work best for you. From the description provided, it sounds like Unix domain sockets may be the best fit.

Beej’s Guide to Unix IPC is good for getting started with Linux/Unix IPC.

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