Compress transmitted data
Description
From an energy-efficiency perspective, it's better to minimise the size of the data transmitted so that less energy is required because the network traffic is reduced.
Solution
Minimise the size of data transmitted by compressing files or payloads.
SCI Impact
SCI = (E * I) + M per R
Software Carbon Intensity Spec
Reducing the distance will impact SCI as follows:
E: We reduce the total electricity required by reducing network traffic. However, we should be wary that there may be a slight increase in energy consumed due to compressing and de-compressing data.I: We may also have a slight increase in location-based marginal carbon emissions due to compressing and de-compressing data at different locations.
Assumptions
Suppose we choose to transfer data (e.g. files or payloads) to the client side because that is the only format the client side can handle. A better solution would be to consider a compressing mechanism for large files or payloads before sending them across the network to the client side to reduce overall network traffic.
Considerations
- It may reduce cloud bills because minimising the size of the data transmitted will cost less.
- If a compressed asset cannot be dealt with, there is more overhead to resend the asset in the correct format.