Understand how qb-core actors seamlessly leverage qb-io for non-blocking network operations, timers, and file handling.

QB Framework: Integrating Core Actors with Asynchronous I/O

The QB Actor Framework achieves its power and efficiency through the tight and seamless integration of its two primary components: the qb-core actor engine and the qb-io asynchronous I/O library. While qb-io can function as a standalone library, its design is pivotal to how actors in qb-core interact with the outside world (networks, file systems) and manage time-based events without blocking.

This section explores how these two modules work in concert, enabling you to build truly concurrent and responsive applications.

Core Principles of Integration

Shared Event Loop: The key integration point is the event loop (qb::io::async::listener). Each qb::VirtualCore (the execution context for actors) runs its own listener. This single loop per core manages both actor events and I/O events.
Non-Blocking Actors: When an actor performs an I/O operation using qb-io (e.g., network reads/writes), the operation is initiated non-blockingly. The listener notifies the actor when the operation completes or data is ready, typically by invoking an on(...) handler.
Unified Scheduling: Timers and delayed tasks scheduled via qb::io::async::callback or qb::io::async::with_timeout are handled by the same listener that dispatches actor events.

Key Topics in This Section:

Asynchronous Operations within Actors
- Learn how actors can use qb::io::async::callback for timers and deferred tasks, and qb::io::async::with_timeout for managing inactivity or operational timeouts. Also covers strategies for handling blocking file I/O from actors asynchronously.
Building Network-Enabled Actors
- Discover how to make your actors network clients or servers using the qb::io::use<> helper template, integrating TCP, UDP, and SSL/TLS capabilities directly into actor logic.
Case Studies: Example Analyses
- Explore detailed walkthroughs of complex examples (chat_tcp, distributed_computing, file_monitor, file_processor, message_broker) to see how qb-core and qb-io are used together to build substantial applications.

Understanding this integration is key to unlocking the full potential of the QB Actor Framework, enabling you to build applications that are not only concurrently sound but also exceptionally performant and responsive to external events and I/O demands.

(Next: Dive into Integrating Core & IO: Async Operations in Actors or Integrating Core & IO: Network Actors for more specific details.**)