The author reminisces on the improvements in distributed systems since the 1980s, highlighting the importance of enabling TCP_NODELAY to solve latency issues. The Nagle algorithm proposed in RFC896 aimed to improve TCP header efficiency, but its interaction with delayed ACK caused significant issues for pipelined applications. The author suggests that Nagle’s algorithm is no longer necessary for modern systems due to increased network speeds and protocol overhead. They recommend disabling Nagle’s algorithm for latency-sensitive distributed systems, emphasizing the need to focus on optimizing efficiency. The controversial stance is that TCP_NODELAY should be the default option, even though it may affect some applications negatively.
https://brooker.co.za/blog/2024/05/09/nagle.html