Unix® domain sockets are interprocess communication sockets that connect programs on the same computer. They are more like named pipes than traditional sockets and offer byte streams and datagrams. They are secure and assume Unix® system rules, making them useful for local area networks. They do not require authentication and are not accessible to untrusted networks.
A Unix® domain socket is a special type of socket within the Unix® operating system (OS) that transfers data from one application to another. Unlike other sockets, which typically connect to other systems, the Unix® domain socket is an interprocess communication (IPC) socket, which means that it connects only to other programs on the user’s computer. Structurally, the domain socket is more like a named pipe than a socket, although it has several features that a pipe does not. Using domain sockets is safe, because other networks can’t spy on the data stream, and the socket doesn’t even need a network to work.
Sockets, in every operating system, are used to transmit bytes from one program to another in a two-way stream, meaning that while data is going out, more data is coming in. This is normally used as a bridge to other servers and computers, but not in the case of a Unix® domain socket. These special sockets are used to send data from the Unix® file system to another program rather than to an external network.
Although the Unix® domain socket shares many socket-related tasks and abilities, it is more like a named pipe. A named pipe is a way for the computer to pass data from one section to another. It’s called a named pipe because the pipe is given a name, just like the Unix® domain socket has a name: the Unix® filesystem itself serves as the name. The main difference between these two is that pipes can only offer byte stream sequences, where data is read as it is being sent, whereas domain sockets offer byte streams and datagrams, where information is read as a packet . Byte stream is better in terms of security, while datagram is better for systems that send continuous messages.
Unix® domain sockets aren’t designed to integrate with external networks, but they do offer many convenient features for local area networks, whether one person or multiple people use the computer. By using the Unix® domain socket instead of other types of sockets, programs can obtain authentication, or permission, without the user having to enter them manually. The domain socket also assumes Unix® system rules, which is useful if different users are given different levels of access, because these rules can be written into the system and will be respected.
More than other sockets and pipes, a Unix® domain socket is secure. Domain sockets will not allow an untrusted network to listen to the data stream, and remote computers cannot connect to the stream without access. All login and authentication information is located in the Unix® domain, so the user will never need to enter a password or username to access the server. This means that programs that listen for keystrokes will not get this information.
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