Poll
Polling is a programming technique where a process or system repeatedly checks the status of an external resource, such as a device, service, or data source, to determine if it is ready for an operation or has new data available. It involves making regular, scheduled requests to monitor conditions, often in a loop, which can be resource-intensive but is straightforward to implement. This contrasts with event-driven approaches like interrupts or callbacks, where the system responds to notifications rather than actively querying.
Developers should use polling in scenarios where event-driven mechanisms are unavailable, unreliable, or too complex, such as in simple embedded systems, legacy applications, or when interfacing with hardware that lacks interrupt support. It is also useful for periodic tasks like checking for updates, monitoring system health, or implementing timeouts in network communications, though it can lead to inefficiencies like high CPU usage or latency if not optimized properly.