What Does First Come, First Served (FCFS) Mean?

First Come, First Served (FCFS) is a type of scheduling algorithm used by operating systems and networks to efficiently and automatically execute queued tasks, processes and requests by the order of their arrival. An FCFS scheduling algorithm may also be referred to as a first-in, first-out (FIFO) algorithm or a first-come, first-choice (FCFC) algorithm.

Techopedia Explains First Come, First Served (FCFS)

FCFS is an easy-to-setup and implement algorithm that does not prioritize tasks and requests by estimating how much time it will take to complete a task. While this allows it to be efficient and quick in systems that handle multiple tasks of similar nature that demand near-identical time and computational power, it does not perform as well when it comes to complex systems that need to handle a wide variety of requests at the same time.