Latency: Reduce delay in software systems [Paperback]

Practical techniques for delivering low latency software.

From first principles to production-ready code,Latencyteaches you how to make your software faster at every layer of the stack. You’ll learn whatlatencyreally is, how it differs from bandwidth, and why it matters for user experience. Then, guided by practical examples, you’ll apply Little’s Law, design lock-free algorithms, and architect caching systems that scale. You’ll discover how your code runs differently on distributed systems, databases, and operating systems, and understand the commonlatency-causing issues in each situation.

InLatencyyou’ll learn how to:

• Definelatency, distinguish it from bandwidth, and understand its impact on user experience
• Model performance with Little’s Law and Amdahl’s Law, then measure and visualize delays
• Optimize data access with colocation, replication, partitioning, and caching
• Accelerate logic with algorithmic improvements, memory tuning, and lock-free concurrency
• Minimize delays with asynchronous processing, predictive techniques, and speculative execution

Put simply,latencyis the delay between a cause and effect. In practice, too muchlatencycan create problems throughout a software system, ranging from inaccurate calculations and timeouts to impatient users simply abandoning your applications.Latencyissues can be challenging to avoid and troubleshoot. This book balances theory with practical implementations, turning academic research into useful techniques you can apply to your projects.

About the technology

From lost microseconds routing server messages to page loads that keep users waiting,latencycan kill good software. This one-of-a-kind book shows you how to spot, understand, and fix unwantedlatencyin your applications and infrastructure.

About the book