Differences between Socket and Pipe in Unix/Linux Systems

Both sockets and pipes are inter-process communication mechanisms in Unix/Linux systems, but they have some key differences:

1. Socket:
   • Sockets are communication endpoints that allow processes to communicate over a network.
   • They can be used for communication between processes on different systems.
   • They are bidirectional and support various communication protocols such as TCP and UDP.
   • Sockets are identified by an IP address and port number.
   • Socket communication is more flexible and can be used for client-server communication.
2. Pipe:
   • Pipes are used for communication between processes running on the same system.
   • They are unidirectional, allowing data to flow in one direction only.
   • Pipes are implemented using file descriptors and are more efficient for communicating between related processes.
   • They are typically used for simple communication tasks within a single system.
   • Pipes are a form of inter-process communication that allows data sharing between processes.

In summary, sockets are used for network communication and support various protocols, while pipes are used for communication between processes on the same system in a more efficient manner.