What is Inter Process Communication?

Interprocess communication (IPC) refers to the mechanisms that allow different processes (programs or tasks running on a computer) to communicate and exchange data. IPC is necessary in many cases where multiple methods must work together or share data to complete a task.

There are several different methods of IPC, including:

Shared memory: This is a method of IPC in which two or more processes share a common memory space, allowing them to access and modify the same data.

Message passing: This is a method of IPC in which processes communicate by sending messages to each other through a dedicated communication channel.

Pipes: This is a method of IPC in which processes communicate by sending data through a line, a unidirectional data channel.

Signals: This is a method of IPC in which processes communicate by sending passwords to each other, which are simple messages that do not carry any data.

IPC is an important concept in computer science and is essential for developing complex software systems that involve multiple processes working together.

Applications that use IPC are often classed as clients or servers. An application or process that requests a service from another application or process is referred to as a client. A programme or a process that responds to a client request is called a server. Many apps can switch between client and server roles depending on the circumstance. For instance, a word processing programme might function as the client and ask a spreadsheet programme to serve as the server for a summary table of production costs. In turn, the spreadsheet application might take the role of a client and ask for an automated inventory control programme for the most current inventory levels.