Latency
Definition
The time delay between a user's action and the system's response, measured in milliseconds, critical for user experience and application performance.
Latency measures the time delay from when a request is made to when the first response is received. In web applications, this includes network latency (time for data to travel between client and server), server processing time, and rendering time. Lower latency means faster, more responsive applications.
Acceptable latency varies by context: interactive UI responses should be under 100ms, web page loads under 2 seconds, and API calls under 200ms. The speed of light imposes a physical minimum on network latency (about 67ms for a round trip between New York and London).
Strategies to reduce latency include using CDNs (reducing physical distance), caching (avoiding repeated computation), database optimization (faster queries), connection pooling (reducing setup overhead), code optimization (faster processing), and edge computing (processing data closer to users).
Related Calculators
Related Terms
Cache
techA temporary storage layer that saves copies of frequently accessed data so future requests can be served faster without recomputing or re-fetching the data.
CDN (Content Delivery Network)
techA geographically distributed network of servers that delivers web content to users from the nearest location, reducing latency and improving load times.
API (Application Programming Interface)
techA set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other and share data or functionality.
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)
techThe foundational protocol for data communication on the web, defining how messages are formatted and transmitted between clients and servers.
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