Java: Efficiency of the readLine method of the BufferedReader and possible alternatives

Question

We are working to reduce the latency and increase the performance of a process written in Java that consumes data (xml strings) from a socket via the readLine() method of the Bu

Answer 1

One of the advantages of the BufferedReader is that it provides a layer of separation (the buffer) between the input methods (read, readLine, etc.) you use and the actual socket reads, so you don't have to worry about all the cases like "most of the line is in the buffer, but you need to read another buffer to get the \n" etc.

Have you done performance measurement that indicates that using a BufferedReader is a performance issue for your application? If not, I would suggest that you start by choosing an input method which provides the functionality you want (line-based input terminated by \n's, from the sound of it), and worry about if there's a "faster" way to do it only if you find the input method is a bottleneck.

If line-based input is really what you're after, you're going to end up using some kind of buffer like BufferedReader does, so why re-invent this wheel?