streaming response
compound.compound. a way of sending data, like text or video, where the information arrives in small pieces as it is created. You see the results immediately instead of waiting for the whole file to finish downloading.
compound. a data transmission method where the server sends a continuous flow of information in chunks rather than waiting for the entire payload to be generated. This allows the client to process and display partial results in real time.
The AI provided a streaming response so I could read as it typed.
By using a streaming response, the application felt much faster because the first few sentences appeared while the rest were still being calculated.
Implementing a streaming response for the large-scale data export allowed the user interface to remain responsive, providing immediate feedback as the server processed millions of individual records.
A compound formed from the present participle of the Old English strīaman, describing a continuous flow of water, and the Latin respondere, meaning to answer or promise in return.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly used in the context of web development, APIs, and large language models.
Last updated July 22, 2026