Streams vs Blocking I/O
Developers should learn and use streams when dealing with large datasets, real-time data processing, or I/O-bound operations to improve performance and memory efficiency meets developers should learn blocking i/o for scenarios where simplicity and straightforward control flow are prioritized, such as in single-threaded applications, scripts, or low-concurrency systems where i/o latency is minimal. Here's our take.
Streams
Developers should learn and use streams when dealing with large datasets, real-time data processing, or I/O-bound operations to improve performance and memory efficiency
Streams
Nice PickDevelopers should learn and use streams when dealing with large datasets, real-time data processing, or I/O-bound operations to improve performance and memory efficiency
Pros
- +For example, streams are essential for reading files line-by-line, processing network requests, handling video/audio data, or building data pipelines in big data applications
- +Related to: node-js-streams, java-stream-api
Cons
- -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case
Blocking I/O
Developers should learn blocking I/O for scenarios where simplicity and straightforward control flow are prioritized, such as in single-threaded applications, scripts, or low-concurrency systems where I/O latency is minimal
Pros
- +It is useful in educational contexts to understand basic I/O handling before moving to more complex asynchronous models, and in legacy systems or libraries that rely on synchronous APIs
- +Related to: non-blocking-io, asynchronous-programming
Cons
- -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case
The Verdict
Use Streams if: You want for example, streams are essential for reading files line-by-line, processing network requests, handling video/audio data, or building data pipelines in big data applications and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.
Use Blocking I/O if: You prioritize it is useful in educational contexts to understand basic i/o handling before moving to more complex asynchronous models, and in legacy systems or libraries that rely on synchronous apis over what Streams offers.
Developers should learn and use streams when dealing with large datasets, real-time data processing, or I/O-bound operations to improve performance and memory efficiency
Disagree with our pick? nice@nicepick.dev