higherpriority

higherpriority is a term used in computing to denote that a task, thread, or request is assigned a higher priority than others. In scheduling and resource management, higher priority elements are selected first for CPU time, memory access, or I/O, subject to system policies and constraints.

In operating systems, priority levels may be static or dynamic. Static priorities assign fixed levels, while dynamic systems adjust priorities based on aging, recent activity, or deadlines to balance throughput and responsiveness. Many schedulers implement priority queues or hierarchical queues, with higher priority items placed ahead of lower ones. Preemption allows higher priority tasks to interrupt running lower priority tasks.

Real-time and quality-of-service contexts rely heavily on higherpriority concepts to meet deadlines or service guarantees. In such environments, inadequate handling can lead to priority inversion, where a high-priority task is blocked by a lower-priority one holding a needed resource. Techniques such as priority inheritance or priority ceiling protocols mitigate this risk.

Implementation and terminology vary by platform. Some systems refer to high priority as a default attribute of time-critical processes; others expose multiple discrete levels with configurable ranges. In networking and multimedia, higherpriority is used to classify traffic to ensure low latency or assured bandwidth.

See also: priority scheduling, preemption, real-time scheduling, aging, priority inversion, and quality of service.