Event Loop

The event loop is a programming construct or design pattern that enables asynchronous, non-blocking I/O operations in single-threaded environments, commonly used in languages like JavaScript and Python. It continuously monitors and processes events from a queue, executing callbacks or handlers when events occur, allowing efficient handling of concurrent tasks without multi-threading.

Also known as: Event Loop Pattern, Event-Driven Loop, Async Loop, Event Queue Loop, Message Loop

Why learn Event Loop?

Developers should learn the event loop when building high-performance, scalable applications that handle many I/O-bound operations, such as web servers, real-time systems, or GUI applications. It is essential for understanding asynchronous programming in Node.js, Python's asyncio, or browser JavaScript to avoid blocking operations and improve responsiveness.

Learning Resources

• docs: MDN Web Docs: The Event Loop
• docs: Node.js Event Loop Explained
• video: What the heck is the event loop anyway? | Philip Roberts | JSConf EU
• tutorial: Real Python: Async IO in Python: A Complete Walkthrough