CAKE
also: Common Applications Kept Enhanced
CAKE (Common Applications Kept Enhanced) is a queueing discipline for Linux traffic control that provides fair bandwidth allocation and reduces latency for network congestion management.
CAKE is a modern queueing discipline (qdisc) used by the Linux traffic control system to manage how packets are queued and transmitted over network interfaces. It combines several advanced techniques to ensure fair treatment of different flows while minimizing latency and bufferbloat.
CAKE performs per-flow fair queueing, meaning each network flow (identified by source/destination IP, port, or other criteria) gets a fair share of bandwidth rather than allowing one flow to monopolize the link. It also actively manages queue sizes to prevent the buildup of excessive buffering, which can cause high latency in interactive applications.
You can enable CAKE on an interface using the tc command, for example: tc qdisc add dev eth0 root cake bandwidth 100mbit. This is particularly useful for home networks, edge routers, and anywhere you want responsive, fair network behavior without complex configuration.