This can be a very fast method of information transfer because RAM can be used. Pipeline A pipe acts like a channel betwen two processes. When one process writes into the pipe the other process can read from it. A pipe can usually buffer information so that the writer can place a lot of information in the pipe before the child has to read it. When the pipe becomes full the writer has to suspend.
Pipes can be un-named.
This is the norm in Unix where a process creates a pipe and then forks, so that the two processes share the pipe between them. Named pipes usually appear as though they were files in the file system. Streams Pipes carry unstructured data - you put bytes in one end and get the same bytes out the other. Streams are designed to carry record information - you put records in at one end and get the same records out the other. Each record must contain a field saying how large it is.