Blocking sockets v/s non-blocking sockets in multi-threaded single server multiple client application.

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I had been working on a Server Client aplication where Server is going to service(sendto + receivefrom)'x' number of Clients at a time. For this purpose, I have created 'x' number of threads on Server side so that each thread is dadicated to one single client. Inside each thread there is a specific socket for just for its client. I was thinking to make these sockets non-blocking but now I think using blocking socket inside each thread is a better idea. Blocking Socket continuously waits to receive data and whenever there is a need to send anything, sendto() is called. Is using blocking Socket in such a situation a good approach or should I use non-blocking sockets? :(
Waiting for help!!!

Posted 12-May-13 20:04pm

ayesha hassan

Updated 12-May-13 21:07pm

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Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov · Answer 1 · 2013-05-12T21:02:00

I think that using threads with blocking sockets instead of asynchronous API is much better. In most cases, communication is sequential in its nature and the flow of operations is logically independent from other threads. Therefore, using a separate thread for each communication channel (in case of TCP) is way more straightforward, logically.

Of course, you pay for it by using thread synchronization. But you learn thread synchronization once and then use this knowledge for a lifetime, while asynchronous APIs are application-specific.

For some ideas, please see my past answers:
Multple clients from same port Number[^],
an amateur question in socket programming[^].

—SA