Asynchronous vs Synchronous Communication

The aim of this article is not to analyse the subject in depth but to give a general idea of the differences between asynchronous and synchronous communication. These are terms which I use in various articles on the website and here you can find clarification on what I mean.

Asynchronous communication can be defined as a way of exchanging data between two or more devices which are not simultaneously involved in the communication and a synchronising mechanism (such as a clock), which determines who and when can send or receive a message, is not used. This is a two-way communication system in which there is a delay between sending and receiving messages. Participants in it read and send messages at a time convenient for them, i.e there’s a difference in the time of arrival of a message and the time of sending a reply to that received message.

Synchronous communication is a way of exchanging data between two or more devices which use a synchronising mechanism for facilitating communication. The way of initiating communication and the order for sending messages between participants are predetermined. We mean not only time-based synchronisation but also synchronisation based on the maximum volume of data and the speed at which they are transmitted.

If you’re still interested, here’s the article.