QPS
QPS is the acronym for Queries Per Second.
Queries Per Second
A performance metric used to quantify the number of individual requests a system can process within one second. It is commonly applied in the context of web servers, databases, APIs, and distributed systems where high-throughput performance is critical.
This metric serves as a key indicator of system scalability and responsiveness under load. For example, a high-traffic search engine or content delivery service may receive millions of queries per second during peak usage. Maintaining a high QPS rate while preserving low latency and system stability requires efficient resource allocation, load balancing, and often horizontal scaling across server clusters or cloud infrastructure.
QPS is not just about raw speed—it also impacts cost, user experience, and system architecture. Systems engineered for high QPS must also address factors like fault tolerance, caching strategies, and data consistency across distributed environments.
In modern computing environments, optimizing QPS is crucial for services that rely on real-time processing, such as search engines, recommendation systems, financial platforms, and programmatic ad exchanges.
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