Multipipe

Multipipe is a term used in computing and data processing to describe a system that uses multiple pipes or channels to move and process data. It is not a single standardized technology, but a pattern or family of techniques for organizing data flow and computation.

In software design, multipipe architectures establish multiple data streams that can run in parallel or feed into a shared workflow in parallel branches. Each pipe carries a stream of records, events, or messages, and processing can occur in separate stages or modules. Benefits include higher throughput, modularity, and isolation between processing stages; drawbacks include increased complexity and the need for careful synchronization and backpressure handling.

In Unix-like environments, pipes are used to connect processes. A multipipe arrangement may route data to several consumers with fan-out, or duplicate a stream to multiple outputs using commands such as tee. Real-world implementations often rely on non-blocking I/O, asynchronous event loops, or interprocess queues to maintain responsiveness and throughput.

In hardware, multiplexing of data channels can be described as multipipe in some contexts. Parallel data paths or multiple sensor channels feeding a common processor may use time-division multiplexing, demultiplexing, or parallel buses to increase effective data rate while maintaining integrity.

See also: pipes, multiplexing, inter-process communication, data pipeline, fan-out, named pipe.