Anonymous and Named Pipes

Anonymous Pipes

An anonymous pipe (English term: Anonymous pipe) is a simple FIFO communication channel that can be used for unidirectional inter-process communication (IPC). Typically, the parent program opens anonymous pipes and creates a new process that inherits the other ends of the pipes. The anonymous pipe lasts only as long as the process lasts.

Named Pipes

A named pipe (English term: Named pipe) is an extension of the concept of traditional anonymous pipes. A named pipe can be identified by name and shown as a file in the system. A named pipe can continue to exist as long as the computer system is on, not just during the lifetime of the process. A named pipe can be deleted if it is no longer being used.