LEARN / NETWORK0BPS / MODULE
WHAT IS LATENCY?
Latency is the time it takes data to travel across a path and receive a response.
NETWORK / RESPONSE TIME
DELAY, NOT BANDWIDTH
Latency is usually expressed in milliseconds. It describes delay, while bandwidth describes how much data a connection can carry. A connection can have very high bandwidth and still feel slow in an interactive task if latency is high.
ROUND-TRIP CONTEXT
Web tools commonly observe round-trip timing: a request leaves the browser, reaches a server and a response returns. Physical distance, routing, congestion, Wi-Fi retransmissions, VPNs and server processing can all add delay.
RULE OF THUMB
RUN LATENCY TEST→Lower is generally better for games, calls and remote interaction. Always compare latency to the actual service path you care about.