TCP vs UDP

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) are both fundamental protocols in computer networking, used to transmit data over the internet.

Here's a breakdown of their key differences:

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)

• Connection-Oriented: Establishes a reliable connection between the sender and receiver before data transmission begins. This involves a three-way handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK).

• Reliable Delivery: Guarantees that data is delivered correctly and in the correct order. It retransmits lost packets and detects and corrects errors.

• Flow Control: Manages the flow of data to prevent the receiver from being overwhelmed.

• Congestion Control: Adjusts the transmission rate based on network congestion to avoid overwhelming the network.

• Used for:

  • Web browsing (HTTP)

  • File transfer (FTP)

  • Email (SMTP)

  • Secure Shell (SSH)

UDP (User Datagram Protocol)

• Connectionless: Does not establish a connection before sending data. Data is sent in individual packets (datagrams).

• Unreliable Delivery: Does not guarantee data delivery or order. Packets can be lost, duplicated, or arrive out of order.

• Faster: Due to its connectionless nature, UDP has lower overhead and can offer faster data transmission.

• Used for:

  • Streaming media (video, audio)

  • Online gaming

  • DNS lookups

  • Voice over IP (VoIP)

In Summary:

• TCP: Reliable, ordered delivery, suitable for applications where data integrity is critical.

• UDP: Faster, less reliable, suitable for applications where speed and low latency are more important than guaranteed delivery (e.g., real-time applications).