FastestPingRoutingStrategy

Overview

The FastestPingRoutingStrategy selects the gateway with the lowest latency by performing HEAD requests to all available gateways and choosing the one that responds fastest. This strategy optimizes for performance by dynamically selecting the most responsive gateway for each request.

Routing Strategy Comparison

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Strategy	Best For	Use Case	Predictability	Infrastructure Control
Fastest Ping	Real-time applications	Performance-critical apps, gaming	Medium	Low
Preferred + Fallback	Dedicated infrastructure	CDN with origin fallback, enterprise gateways	High	Maximum
Round Robin	Load balancing	Even distribution across known gateways	High	High
Random	Simple distribution	Basic load spreading, testing	Low	Medium
Static	Single gateway	Development, specific gateway requirements	Maximum	High

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How It Works

Ping All Gateways: Send HEAD requests to all available gateways
Measure Response Times: Record the time taken for each gateway to respond
Select Fastest: Choose the gateway with the lowest response time
Cache Results: Optionally cache ping results for a specified duration
Fallback: If all pings fail, fall back to the first available gateway

Configuration

Basic Usage

import { FastestPingRoutingStrategy } from '@ar.io/wayfinder-core'

const strategy = new FastestPingRoutingStrategy({
  timeoutMs: 500,
  pingPath: '/ar-io/info',
})

With Caching

const strategy = new FastestPingRoutingStrategy({
  timeoutMs: 500,
  cacheResultsMs: 30000, // Cache ping results for 30 seconds
  pingPath: '/ar-io/info',
})

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`timeoutMs`	`number`	`500`	Timeout for ping requests in milliseconds
`pingPath`	`string`	`'/ar-io/info'`	Path to ping on each gateway
`cacheResultsMs`	`number`	`0`	How long to cache ping results (0 = no cache)
`logger`	`Logger`	`defaultLogger`	Optional logger instance

Integration with Wayfinder

import { Wayfinder, FastestPingRoutingStrategy } from '@ar.io/wayfinder-core'

const wayfinder = new Wayfinder({
  routingSettings: {
    strategy: new FastestPingRoutingStrategy({
      timeoutMs: 500,
      cacheResultsMs: 30000, // Cache results for 30 seconds
    }),
  },
})

Use Cases

Performance-Critical Applications

Perfect for applications where response time is crucial and you want the fastest possible data access.

const performanceStrategy = new FastestPingRoutingStrategy({
  timeoutMs: 500,
  cacheResultsMs: 10000, // Short cache for frequent updates
})

Gaming and Real-Time Apps

Ideal for gaming applications or real-time data feeds where latency matters most.

const gamingStrategy = new FastestPingRoutingStrategy({
  timeoutMs: 300, // Very fast timeout
  cacheResultsMs: 5000, // Frequent re-evaluation
})

Load Testing and Benchmarking

Useful for testing gateway performance and identifying the fastest gateways in your region.

const benchmarkStrategy = new FastestPingRoutingStrategy({
  timeoutMs: 1000,
  cacheResultsMs: 0, // No caching for accurate measurements
})

Best Practices

Set Appropriate Timeouts: Balance between speed and reliability
Use Caching: Cache ping results to avoid repeated measurements
Monitor Performance: Track which gateways perform best over time
Consider Network Conditions: Results may vary based on user location and network
Combine with Fallback: Use with other strategies for high availability

The FastestPingRoutingStrategy is ideal for applications where performance and low latency are the primary concerns.