ioPipeReader

ioPipeReader is the read end of a pipe-based streaming abstraction used to transfer data between a producer and a consumer within a program. It is typically paired with a corresponding writer end, and data written to the pipe by the producer is made available for reading by the consumer. The reader blocks on read operations when no data is currently available and signals end of data when the writer closes or signals an error. This design provides a straightforward form of backpressure, as the reader can regulate the flow of data by delaying reads and allowing the writer to proceed only when space is available in an internal buffer.

Implementation and naming vary by language and library. In some ecosystems, the read end is concretely named ioPipeReader, while in others it is exposed as a type such as PipeReader. A well-known instance in the Go programming language uses the io.PipeReader type in conjunction with io.PipeWriter, created by a single pipe call. Across languages, the concept is often implemented as a ReadEnd of a pipe or as a streaming channel, and it is commonly used to connect modular components in a data processing pipeline.

Common usage patterns include building streaming pipelines where data flows from a producer through one or more transformative stages to a consumer, enabling decoupled components and parallelism. Key considerations include buffering size, proper closure and error propagation, thread-safety, and ensuring that neither end blocks indefinitely, which can lead to deadlocks.

See also: Pipe, PipeWriter, io.PipeReader, streaming I/O, backpressure.