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Understanding Network Latency for High performance web-based applications

It is crucial to consider Latency for High performance web-based applications

Network latency is the time it takes for data or a request to go from the source to the destination. Latency in networks is measured in milliseconds.

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High latency can significantly affect the performance of networked applications, causing delays and reducing the overall user experience.

Symptoms of Network Latency

  1. Slow Response Times: Web application will take longer time to load
  2. Timed-out Connections: Connections to servers may time out due to delays in data transmission.
  3. High Ping Times: Measured in milliseconds (ms), high ping times indicate delays in communication between devices.

Root Causes of Network Latency

1.** Physical Distance:**
Suppose we have application hosted at United state and all users of applications belongs to Australia. In this case data packets are travelling too much distance which does not make sense here.

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In above example we can see it has high latency due to packet travel too long due to huge physical distance between server and user so we should choose correct server location based on real time usage.

Here in example below we can see Server and user both are in same country then we will have less latency issues due to less physical distance

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  1. Network Congestion: High traffic on the network can cause delays as data packets compete for bandwidth

  2. Routing and Hops: Data passing through multiple routers and switches (hops) can slow down transmission.

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In this diagram we can see latency will increase due to lot of routers in network path.

4.** Hardware Limitations**: Outdated or insufficient hardware (e.g., routers, switches) can contribute to latency.

5.** Network Protocols and Configuration**: Inefficient network protocols or misconfigured network settings can introduce delays.

  1. Server Load: Overloaded servers can slow down response times, adding to latency.

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