Unix sockets are bidirectional. This means that every side can perform both read and write operations. While, FIFOs are unidirectional: it has a writer peer and a reader peer. Unix sockets create less overhead and communication is faster, than by localhost IP sockets.

What is Unix socket connection?

A Unix domain socket or IPC socket (inter-process communication socket) is a data communications endpoint for exchanging data between processes executing on the same host operating system. Valid socket types in the UNIX domain are: SOCK_STREAM (compare to TCP) – for a stream-oriented socket.

How does a Linux socket work?

Sockets are the constructs that allow processes on different machines to communicate through an underlying network, being also possibly used as a way of communicating with other processes in the same host (through Unix sockets). … Whenever new clients land in the second line, the process can then let it come in.