Dataflow

Dataflow is a term used in computing, and may have various shades of meaning.

Software architecture

Dataflow connecting computational actors into stages (pipelines) that can execute concurrently. Data-flow can also be called Stream processing and Reactive programming. These ideas are all highly inter-related.

There have been multiple data-flow/stream processing languages of various forms (see Stream processing). Data-flow hardware (see Dataflow architecture) is an alternative to the classic Von Neumann architecture. The most obvious example of data-flow programming is the subset known as Reactive programming with spreadsheets. As a user enters new values, they are instantly transmitted to the next logical "actor" or formula for calculation.

Distributed data flows have also been proposed as a programming abstraction that captures the dynamics of distributed multi-protocols. The data-centric perspective characteristic of data flow programming promotes high-level functional style of specifications, and simplifies formal reasoning about system components.