In Linux, several Inter-Process Communication (IPC) mechanisms enable processes to communicate and share data. These mechanisms are critical for coordination between processes running in user space. Here are some of the most commonly used IPC mechanisms
| IPC Mechanism | Key Features | Speed | Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipes | Unidirectional, suitable for parent-child processes. | Medium | Simple communication between related processes. |
| Message Queues | Queue messages, supports priority messages. | Medium | Asynchronous messaging between processes. |
| Shared Memory | Fastest IPC, shared memory region accessible by multiple processes. | Fast | High-speed data sharing between processes. |
| Semaphores | Synchronization of processes to avoid race conditions. | Medium | Controlling access to shared resources. |
| Signals | Asynchronous notification. | Fast | Event notification, process control. |
| Sockets | Network communication (or local via UNIX domain). | Medium/Slow | Network and local client-server communication. |
| Mmap | Memory-mapped files or devices, shared memory via file mapping. | Fast | Shared memory via file mappings. |
| D-Bus | High-level, inter-application communication (used in desktop environments). | Medium | Application-level IPC (e.g., GNOME, KDE). |
| Eventfd/Signalfd | File descriptor-based event and signal handling. | Fast | Handling events and signals in poll or epoll. |
| POSIX Message Queues | FIFO messaging with priorities, used in real-time applications. | Medium | Real-time message passing. |
| Files | Slow but simple, persistent data sharing through files. | Slow | Data persistence, logging, simple IPC. |
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