Network Latency

Removing network hops can sharply improve API response time without changing business logic or the database. Network calls add overhead compared with in-process calls. Service-to-service communication can be about a million times slower than local memory or function-call communication. Network latency comes from leaving process memory, serialization, transport, security negotiation, and deserialization. Latency compounds when services are chained together. A five-service request chain can add roughly 50 to 100 milliseconds before business logic executes.