nodejs / nodejs/node

tls: reduce SetImmediate deferrals in TLSWrap write completion for lower latency

Aperta
#63,955 0 commenti 0 reazioni 0 assegnatari Vedi su GitHub

Nessuno ha ancora preso questa issue.

feature request
Lingua principale
JavaScript
Stelle
122k
Fork
37.3k
Merge medio
4g 2h
PR unite (30g)
283

Descrizione

What is the problem this feature will solve?

TLSWrap in src/crypto/crypto_tls.cc deliberately defers write completion to a later event-loop turn in cases where the underlying stream finishes synchronously. This adds systematic latency and extra queue depth on high-throughput, full-duplex TLS connections.

Concrete cases in the current implementation:

  1. EncOut() after a synchronous underlying write — when underlying_stream()->Write() returns non-async, completion is simulated via env()->SetImmediate(...) before OnStreamAfterWrite() runs (~L725–733).
  2. Empty DoWrite() driving the stream — zero-length writes used to tick the stream machinery also defer via SetImmediate (~L1054–1058).
  3. in_dowrite_ + pending cleartext — when EncOut() runs inside DoWrite() and encrypted output is not yet flushed, InvokeQueued(0) is deferred to the next tick (~L689–701). The code comments note uncertainty about correctness vs. blocking data flow.

For tunnel/VPN/proxy workloads (and any latency-sensitive full-duplex TLS), each extra tick compounds:

  • Delayed 'drain' / write() callbacks → send-side stalls
  • Head-of-line blocking between read and write directions
  • Higher event-loop utilization under sustained MTU-sized traffic

This is separate from OpenSSL crypto cost — it is Node-imposed async shaping on paths that already completed synchronously at the TCP layer.

What is the feature you are proposing to solve the problem?

Improve TLSWrap so write completion and queued callbacks run as soon as it is safe, without defaulting to SetImmediate on every sync underlying write.

Proposed changes:

  • Audit and narrow SetImmediate usage in EncOut(), empty DoWrite(), and the in_dowrite_ branch — identify cases where OnStreamAfterWrite() / InvokeQueued() can run inline without violating existing TLS/stream invariants.
  • Add an opt-in TLSSocket option, e.g. lowLatency: true (name bikesheddable), that enables synchronous completion where the test suite permits. Default behavior stays unchanged for backward compatibility until confidence is high.
  • Strengthen TLSWrap::Cycle() — when both directions have work pending (ClearIn → ClearOut → EncOut), drain in one pass where cycle_depth_ allows, reducing reliance on a subsequent tick to flush state left in pending_cleartext_input_ or enc_out_.
  • Add regression tests — bidirectional pummel/benchmark comparing event-loop turns per megabyte transferred with and without the fast path; ensure existing test-tls-* write/drain/destroy cases still pass.

Success criteria:

  • Measurably fewer SetImmediate / next-tick deferrals per SSL_write → TCP flush cycle under full-duplex load.
  • No regressions in write ordering, destroy() during write, or double-callback cases covered by existing parallel TLS tests.
What alternatives have you considered?
  • Do nothing; require native TLS bridges for tunnel workloads — Valid for extreme cases (see separate tls.createBridge proposal), but this latency tax affects all TLSSocket users doing full-duplex I/O, not only TUN/VPN apps.
  • Userland workarounds (setImmediate batching, socket.cork) — Cannot bypass TLSWrap internals; users cannot force synchronous WriteWrap::Done() from JavaScript.
  • Disable Nagle / tune TCP only — Reduces kernel buffering but does not address Node deferring completion after sync writes.
  • Always run WriteWrap::Done() synchronously — Likely breaks edge cases the SetImmediate workaround was added for; needs careful gating behind an option or proven safe paths only.
  • Move TLS to worker threads — Larger architectural change; orthogonal to fixing unnecessary main-thread deferral in the existing TLSWrap state machine.

Guida per i contributori

Apri la guida per i contributori

Come iniziare

  1. Leggi tutta la issue e poi la guida ai contributi del progetto.
  2. Commenta sulla issue per dire che te ne occupi tu — evita che due persone facciano lo stesso lavoro.
  3. Fai un fork del repository e lavora su un branch.
  4. Apri una pull request che faccia riferimento al numero della issue.

Direzione di ricerca

Inizia in src/crypto/crypto_tls.cc tracciando i percorsi citati EncOut(), DoWrite(), in_dowrite_ e Cycle(), quindi esegui i casi esistenti di test-tls-* per scrittura, drain e distruzione. Il lavoro è completo quando si ottiene una riduzione motivata dei rinvii di SetImmediate con copertura di regressione bidirezionale, preservando l’ordinamento, la distruzione durante una scrittura e il comportamento dei callback doppi.

Scritto dal modello di indicizzazione a partire dal testo della issue.

Valutazione

Stack tecnologico
cpp, nodejs
Ambito
networking, security
Tipo di issue
Funzionalità
Difficoltà
5/5
Tempo stimato
Più di una settimana
Stato di attività
Tranquilla
Chiarezza
Abbastanza chiara
Idoneità per principianti
30/100

Ricevi le nuove issue nella tua casella

Un breve riepilogo di issue GitHub adatte ai principianti.