Transmogrifier: Java NIO and Non-Blocking IO

Mini-Course on how non-blocking network communication is done in Java. Level: difficult

Java.NIO has been with us since Java 1.4. Yep, that's over 15 years ago! And you still don't know how it works?

No worries, we're here to help :-)

In this mini-course, we start by learning how the "old" Java.IO works by writing three different servers.

We then move over to Java.NIO, which stands for "New IO", not as most people think "Non-blocking IO". Our first example uses a blocking Java.NIO server, to show this.

We then write a polling non-blocking Java.NIO server, which consumes a lot of CPU, but is able to support more sockets than the blocking varieties.

Finally, we write two slightly different non-blocking servers using the Selector to react to events that might happen on our sockets.

This mini-course is designed for you to code along. By the end, you should have a working understanding of how to communicate over sockets in a blocking and non-blocking fashion.


Your Instructor


Dr Heinz M. Kabutz
Dr Heinz M. Kabutz

Heinz Kabutz is the author of The Java Specialists’ Newsletter, a publication enjoyed by tens of thousands of Java experts in over 150 countries. He has been a Java Champion since 2005.


Course Curriculum


  1. Welcome
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days after you enroll
  2. Single-threaded Blocking Server With Old Java.IO
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  3. Multi-Threaded Blocking Server
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days after you enroll

Frequently Asked Questions


How long do I have access to a fully paid course?
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When does the course start and finish?
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