In the fast-paced digital world, where every millisecond counts, understanding the nuances of network latency becomes paramount for developers and system architects. Latency, the delay before a transfer of data begins following an instruction for its transfer, can significantly impact user experience and system performance. This post dives into the critical metrics of latency: P90, P99, and mean response times, offering insights into their importance and how they can guide in optimizing services.
The Essence of Latency Metrics
Before diving into the specific metrics, it is crucial to understand why they matter. In the realm of web services, not all requests are treated equally, and their response times can vary greatly. Analyzing these variations through latency metrics provides a clearer picture of a system's performance, especially under load.