select, poll, and epoll: What’s the real difference? A deep dive into I/O multiplexing
This article explains the concepts of synchronous vs. asynchronous and blocking vs. non‑blocking I/O, outlines the five Unix I/O models, and then compares select, poll, and epoll—including their internal mechanisms, performance trade‑offs, edge‑ and level‑triggered modes, and why epoll is considered the solution to the C10K problem.
