A practical guide to eliminating bufferbloat on a 1 Gbit fiber connection using CAKE (Common Applications Kept Enhanced) SQM on NixOS. Covers how CAKE works — including AQM, flow isolation, Deficit Round Robin, and overhead compensation — and compares it to alternatives like fq_codel and HTB. Includes a complete NixOS systemd service configuration with egress shaping directly on the PPPoE interface and ingress shaping via an IFB virtual interface, with detailed explanations of key parameters like bandwidth headroom, overhead values, and the wash option.
Table of contents
What’s Bufferbloat?How CAKE WorksWhy CAKE Over Other Qdiscs?Ingress Shaping with IFBNixOS ConfigurationKey Parameters ExplainedVerifying It WorksWhy a systemd Service?CaveatsSort: