Asynchronous communication

What is asynchronous communication?

Asynchronous communication is a form of data transmission in which the data is not transmitted in a continuous stream, but intermittently. Intermittent data flow refers to data transfers that occur with interruptions or alternately with another state.

The most important aspect of asynchronous communication is that the data is not transmitted at regular intervals, which enables a variable bit rate, and that the sender and receiver do not always have to be exactly synchronized. In asynchronous transmission, data is typically sent byte by byte, with each byte preceded by a start and a stop bit.

Classification of asynchronous communication

Asynchronous communication can be classified according to various criteria:

• Based on medium: wired or wireless.
• Based on data rate: High, medium or low data rate.
• Based on transmission method: point-to-point, broadcast or multicast.
• Based on purpose: real-time streaming, file transfer or command and control communication.

Reference to the software architecture – The Asynchronous communication concept

In the software architectureespecially in distributed systems, asynchronous communication plays a decisive role. Modern applications use microservice architectures in which independent services communicate asynchronously in order to achieve high availability and scalability. Event-driven architectures, in which services react to events or messages instead of waiting for direct requests, rely heavily on asynchronous communication mechanisms.

Relevance of asynchronous communication for software development

Asynchronous communication is of great importance in software development. It enables developers to:

• Flexibility and expandability: Services can be updated and scaled independently without affecting the entire application.
• Fault resilience: If a service fails, the system can continue to function in a degraded mode instead of failing completely.
• Optimized performance: Asynchronous processing allows resources to be used more efficiently and latency times to be minimized.

Methods of asynchronous communication

Methods of asynchronous communication improve the user experience by the waiting time for the user. With asynchronous communication, individual elements of a website/app can change. Thanks to asynchronous data transfers, individual elements of a website can change without the entire page having to be reloaded in the web browser.

Examples of asynchronous data transmission

Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax) are concepts for asynchronous data transfer between internet browser and server. Asynchronous front-end and back-end technologies therefore enable dynamic web content. For example, an Ajax engine in the web browser controls the reloading of content discreetly in the background.

Asynchronous communication – A buffer between client and server is used for data buffering (FIFO)

Data transmission is also asynchronous with an RS232 interface. What does asynchronous mean? In contrast to the synchronous interface, which uses a handshake for synchronization, this type of interface has a buffer in the form of a queue (FIFO), into which the data can be written and retrieved by the receiver at the appropriate time. Protocols that implement asynchronous data transmission typically use identifiers such as a start bit (initial or 0-bit). These start bits are optionally followed by a check bit, also known as a parity bit, and at least one stop bit (1-bit). The check bit can be either even or odd. So if the number of 1s in the transmitted byte is even, the check bit must be 0 (for odd) or 1 (for even), otherwise the previous transmission was not correct. Mechanisms such as these ensure reliable transmission for asynchronous data transfers.

Methods for asynchronous data transmission

The following methods have been established for asynchronous data transmission:

• REST (REpresentational State Transfer)
• JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)

Older processes such as SOAP or proprietary data formats are only occasionally used in modern cloud or microservice architectures and are now considered technologically obsolete.

Asynchronous versus synchronous data transfer

In addition to asynchronous methods, there is also the method of synchronous communication.

Conclusion

Asynchronous communication is not just a technical concept, it also influences the way software is developed and delivered. It enables teams to work more flexibly, maximize system availability and provide a better user experience. In terms of software development, it leads to faster time-to-market, reduced costs and improved services. Understanding asynchronous communication concepts is therefore crucial for developers, architects and business people alike.

Challenges with asynchronous communication

Asynchronous communication offers many advantages, but it also brings challenges that need to be taken into account during implementation:

1. Complexity in system design:
   • The handling of messages and events can become complex, especially in systems with multiple microservices.
   • Developers must ensure that messages are not lost, processed twice or received in the wrong order.
2. Error handling and resilience:
   • If a service fails, it must be possible to store messages temporarily and process them again later.
   • Mechanisms such as retry strategies or dead letter queues are essential to ensure data integrity.
3. Transactions and consistency:
   • In an asynchronous architecture, it is difficult to ensure transactional consistency across multiple services.
   • Concepts such as Saga Pattern or Eventual Consistency help to overcome this challenge.
4. Monitoring and debugging:
   • Asynchronous systems require specialized tools for monitoring in order to detect errors in message processing or delays.
   • Log analysis and distributed tracing tools such as Jaeger or Zipkin are crucial for error analysis.

Best practices for the implementation of asynchronous communication

Asynchronous communication offers flexibility and scalability, but without clear strategies it can quickly become confusing. Discover proven methods to make your systems efficient, minimize errors and achieve maximum performance.

1. Use of message brokers:

   • Tools such as Apache Kafka, RabbitMQ or Amazon SQS offer robust mechanisms for asynchronous communication.
   • These systems support functions such as guaranteed message delivery, partitioning and scalability.

2. Ensure idempotency:

   • Messages should be designed in such a way that their repeated processing has no negative effect. This minimizes the effects of errors and prevents inconsistencies.

3. Timeouts and circuit breakers:

   • Asynchronous communication can lead to delays. Timeouts and circuit breakers prevent a system from being blocked by slow or failed services.

4. Standardize message formats:

   • The use of JSON, Avro or Protobuf facilitates interoperability between different services and technologies.

Use cases for asynchronous communication

1. E-commerce platforms:

   • Order processes where orders are processed asynchronously and stock levels, payment status and shipping details are updated separately.

2. IoT systems:

   • Sensors that send data asynchronously to central servers to enable real-time analysis or reporting.

3. Event-driven architectures:

   • Applications that respond to user actions or system events, e.g. notifications, push updates or streaming services.

Use cases of asynchronous communication in the telematics infrastructure

The telematics infrastructure (TI) in the healthcare sector is a prime example of the use of asynchronous communication. It enables the efficient, secure and scalable transmission of sensitive healthcare data between different players, such as doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and patients.

E-prescription

Asynchronous transfer of prescriptions between doctors’ surgeries, pharmacies and health insurance companies without all parties having to be online at the same time.

Electronic patient file (ePA)

Data exchange between service providers and insured persons, in which documents and findings can be uploaded and retrieved asynchronously.

Quality reports and billing data

Asynchronous communication enables the transmission of large volumes of data, e.g. for quality assurance or the billing of services, without overloading the systems.

Emergency data management

Emergency data can be retrieved from the TI at any time, regardless of whether the original data provider is online.

Telemedical applications

Video and data transmissions for telemedicine consultations, which often include asynchronous components such as pre-diagnosis and report generation.

Why asynchronous communication is crucial for the telematics infrastructure

Data in motion: In a foreseeably highly networked world in our healthcare system, asynchronous communication ensures that data flows efficiently and securely – regardless of time and availability. It not only enables the smooth exchange of sensitive health information, but also lays the foundation for innovations such as e-prescriptions and telemedicine services. Data protection and trustworthy TI services are just as much a focus here as the needs and requirements of users and user experience.

Comparison of protocols and tools

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