Explain “Event-Driven” Web Servers to Your Grandma

#1

Post by daverecycles » Fri, Feb 04, 2011, 2:16 PM UTC

Explain “Event-Driven” Web Servers to Your Grandma
daverecycles.com

Re: Explain “Event-Driven” Web Servers to Your Grandma

#2

Post by Jinyoung » Fri, Feb 04, 2011, 3:07 PM UTC

Hmm, perhaps a closer analogy:

Traditional Web Server:

The pizza shop receives a call for the initial order and starts the pie. Then the customer calls back periodically to check if the pie is done because the pizza shop cannot call back or deliver.

Re: Explain “Event-Driven” Web Servers to Your Grandma

#3

Post by giberson » Fri, Feb 04, 2011, 3:07 PM UTC

Grandma, "Event-Driven" is just a fancy word for magic. Don't worry about it.

Re: Explain “Event-Driven” Web Servers to Your Grandma

#4

Post by bartl » Fri, Feb 04, 2011, 3:23 PM UTC

Explain "web server" to your grandma. Oopsie.

Re: Explain “Event-Driven” Web Servers to Your Grandma

#5

Post by sabat » Fri, Feb 04, 2011, 3:36 PM UTC

Jinyoung wrote: post #2

Hmm, perhaps a closer analogy: Traditional Web Server: The pizza shop receives a call for the initial order and starts the pie. Then the customer calls back periodically to check if the pie is done because the pizza shop cannot call back or deliver.

Much better. Calling the customer back? That would be magic.

Re: Explain “Event-Driven” Web Servers to Your Grandma

#6

Post by sausagefeet » Fri, Feb 04, 2011, 3:38 PM UTC

Jinyoung wrote: post #2

Hmm, perhaps a closer analogy: Traditional Web Server: The pizza shop receives a call for the initial order and starts the pie. Then the customer calls back periodically to check if the pie is done because the pizza shop cannot call back or deliver.

No I don't think so. He is talking about a single request here, you seem to be talking about a session.

Re: Explain “Event-Driven” Web Servers to Your Grandma

#7

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Feb 04, 2011, 3:54 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Explain “Event-Driven” Web Servers to Your Grandma

#8

Post by chwahoo » Fri, Feb 04, 2011, 4:11 PM UTC

Jinyoung wrote: post #2

Hmm, perhaps a closer analogy: Traditional Web Server: The pizza shop receives a call for the initial order and starts the pie. Then the customer calls back periodically to check if the pie is done because the pizza shop cannot call back or deliver.

The commenter (on the linked blog) who said that the pizza shop has a small number of call-takers that put calls on hold until they are ready to service them makes a better analogy.

Re: Explain “Event-Driven” Web Servers to Your Grandma

#9

Post by vyrotek » Fri, Feb 04, 2011, 4:36 PM UTC

I feel that this analogy seems to overlook the work that goes into having a 'customer' being available for, listening and receiving the call back.

Re: Explain “Event-Driven” Web Servers to Your Grandma

#10

Post by Jinyoung » Fri, Feb 04, 2011, 4:41 PM UTC

[deleted] wrote: post #7

[deleted]

I agree.

Maybe i'm not on the same page as the article author on what he meant by "event driven" but if he's talking about websockets/comety web servers, then as I mentioned in a comment below, the difference is that in a traditional web server the customer has to keep calling back to know the status of the pizza (polling) versus having the pizzeria deliver or call the customer back for pickup (server push). Fewer communiques overall.