Design and Performance Evaluation of a Minimal Asynchronous Communication Library for Embedded Systems

In recent years, the increasing complexity and multifunctionality of embedded systems have necessitated simple and efficient Inter-Process Communication (IPC) methods. This paper presents the design, implementation, and performance evaluation of a minimal, high-performance asynchronous communication library for embedded systems. Inspired by ZeroMQ, the proposed solution is developed as an easy-to-use, class-based IPC module that supports both Named Pipe and file-based communication methods. The library is designed to enable each process or module to manage its own independent communication channel, thereby enhancing modularity and maintainability. Its asynchronous, non-blocking design facilitates real-time data transmission between processes. Turnaround time evaluation was conducted using the RasPike-ART environment on a Raspberry Pi, wherein a C++ process communicated with a Python process over 15,000 cycles. The results demonstrated that the Named Pipe implementation achieved an average turnaround time comparable to, or even faster than, ZeroMQ—albeit with a slightly higher latency variability—while the file-based approach, though adaptable to systems lacking Named Pipe support, incurred higher delays. The findings indicate that the developed IPC library, despite its minimal design, offers similar performance to ZeroMQ, while being adaptable to a diverse range of embedded environments. Future work is proposed to extend the module’s capabilities to support additional messaging patterns and features such as persistence and guaranteed delivery, thereby addressing limitations observed in current communication libraries.