Linux Sockets

Most inter-process communications use the client-server model. One of the two processes, called the client, connects to the other process called the server, typically with a request for information. Each side of this bidirectional communication can be represented by a socket. The client and server processes create their own socket.

Socket Types

Unix domain socket is an endpoint for exchanging data between processes executing on the same host operating system.

Network socket is an endpoint for sending or receiving data within a host from a computer network.

Network Socket Types

Sockets support the transmission of reliable streams of bytes, as well as ordered and unreliable transmission of datagrams. Stream sockets view communications as a continuous stream of characters, while Datagram sockets must read entire messages at once.

Communication via Datagram Socket

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Communication via Stream Socket

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