Inter Process Communication
Inter Process Communication (IPC) is a set of mechanisms that allow processes to exchange data and synchronize actions in a computer system, enabling cooperation between independent programs. It is fundamental in operating systems, distributed systems, and concurrent programming, facilitating communication across process boundaries. Common IPC methods include pipes, message queues, shared memory, sockets, and remote procedure calls.
Developers should learn IPC when building applications that require coordination between multiple processes, such as in microservices architectures, multi-threaded systems, or distributed computing environments. It is essential for scenarios like data sharing, task delegation, and real-time communication in operating systems, databases, and networked applications.