Concepts: Channel vs. Flow

Question

Is there a conceptual difference between the terms channel and stream? Should the terms require / define, for example, the permitted number of simultaneous consumers or producers?

I am currently developing a DataFlowVariables channel / stream that can be written by one producer and read by one consumer, as the implementation is destructive / mutable. Will it be a channel or a stream, is there any difference at all?

thanks

Answer 1

These terms are widely used for many and varied concepts. They are roughly synonymous and are often used interchangeably.

In some contexts, a channel refers to a division of a large communications environment. For example, radio and television stations use “channels” to describe the frequency division multiplexing approach for signal separation. The AMQP bus protocol uses channels to multiplex traffic over a TCP session.

In computer science, the term “channel” sometimes refers to a message-oriented channel between transmitting endpoints. The Tony Hoare CSP (from which Ockham, Limbaugh, and Google Go are derived) use channels as the primary unit of communication and synchronization.

The term stream, OTOH, tends to refer more to a byte-oriented communication channel, such as a TCP socket, which provides a continuous stream of bytes or characters without a clear break that separates one message from another.

Answer 2

I'm not quite sure what you're talking about, but ...

A channel usually refers to some physical construct or virtual path in order to pass something through.

A stream is what is transmitted over a channel.

It makes sense?

Answer 3

A “channel” determines HOW you transmit data. A “stream” is specific data transmitted over a single channel.