Editing Message passing (section)

{{Short description|Technique for running a program on a computer without directly calling it}}
{{About|the computer science concept}}

In [[computer science]], '''message passing''' is a technique for invoking behavior (i.e., running a [[Computer program|program]]) on a [[computer]]. The invoking program sends a message to a [[Process (computing)|process]] (which may be an [[Actor model|actor]] or [[Object (computer science)|object]]) and relies on that process and its supporting infrastructure to then select and run some appropriate code. Message passing differs from conventional programming where a process, [[subroutine]], or function is directly invoked by name. Message passing is key to some [[Concurrency (computer science)#Models|models of concurrency]] and [[object-oriented programming]].

Message passing is ubiquitous in modern computer [[software]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} It is used as a way for the objects that make up a program to work with each other and as a means for objects and systems running on different computers (e.g., the [[Internet]]) to interact. Message passing may be implemented by various mechanisms, including [[Channel (programming)|channels]].