socketbasert

Socketbasert refers to software design and systems that rely on network sockets as the primary abstraction for communication between processes, whether on the same machine via Unix domain sockets or across networks via TCP/IP or UDP. The term is used in Norwegian tech contexts to describe architectures that communicate through raw sockets rather than higher-level protocols.

Core characteristics include a low-level API for creating, binding, listening, and connecting sockets; support for stream-oriented (TCP) and message-oriented (UDP) communication; and often event-driven or asynchronous I/O models to handle multiple connections efficiently. Socket-based communication can preserve control over framing, timing, and error handling.

Common use cases include client-server applications, real-time systems, multiplayer games, and microservices that require persistent connections or custom protocols. Socket-based systems may coexist with higher-level protocols like HTTP or gRPC, serving as a transport layer underneath.

Implementation considerations include platform APIs such as POSIX sockets (BSD sockets), Windows Sockets, and Unix domain sockets for local IPC. Languages commonly used include C, C++, Java (NIO), Python, and Node.js, each providing libraries to manage sockets, nonblocking I/O, and buffering.

Security and reliability concerns involve encryption (TLS over sockets), authentication, input validation, and proper error handling. The history of socket programming traces to BSD sockets in the 1980s, which established a portable interface that remains central to networking and IPC today.