mysql db as an alternative to socket programming?

Question

Is it bad practice to use a mysql database running on some remote server as a means of interfacing 2 remote computers? For example having box1 poll on a specific row of the remote db checking for values posted by box2, when box2 posts some value box1 carries out a,b,c. Thanks for any advice.

Answer 1

Consider using something like ZeroMQ, which is an easy-to-use abstraction over sockets with bindings for most languages. There is some nice intro documentation as well as many examples of various patterns you can use in your application.

I can understand the temptation of using a database for this, but the idea of continually writing/polling simply to signal between clients wastes IO, ties up connections, etc. and, more importantly, seems like it would difficult to understand/debug by another person (or yourself in two years).