Executive TL;DR:

• Epoll and io_uring are Linux kernel features for handling I/O operations
• io_uring offers better performance but has security concerns
• Epoll is a more established and widely used solution

The Buzz Score

The Internet’s Verdict: 70% Hyped, 30% Skeptical

Introduction to Epoll and io_uring

Epoll and io_uring are two Linux kernel features used for handling I/O operations. While Epoll is a more established solution, io_uring has gained attention for its potential to offer better performance.

Performance Comparison

According to some developers, io_uring is significantly faster than Epoll. As one developer noted:

Yes, io_uring is significantly faster than epoll (I think I had like 20% faster req/s with io_uring.)

However, this performance gain comes with security concerns. io_uring has been linked to several exploits, which may make it less desirable for widespread use.

Security Concerns and Alternatives

Due to the security risks associated with io_uring, some developers recommend exploring alternative solutions. For example, using CPU pinning and aligning sockets can improve performance without the security risks:

you can probably eke out a bit more performance if you cpu pin your threads and cpu pin your listen sockets (sockopt SO_INCOMING_CPU).

Additionally, libraries like Concurrency Kit and mimalloc can help optimize performance for reverse proxies.

Focus Keyword: Epoll io_uring