Detailed Explanation of TCP and UDP (original by the author, full of dry goods)

Detailed Explanation of TCP and UDP

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) are two common network transmission protocols, and they have their own characteristics and usage scenarios. The following are their detailed explanations, differences and usage scenarios:

1、TCP

TCP is a connection-oriented protocol that requires a connection to be established before data can be transmitted. TCP has the following characteristics:

• Reliability: TCP guarantees the reliability and integrity of data, and can detect and correct errors in data transmission.
• Orderly: TCP guarantees the orderly transmission of data, and the data received by the receiving end is in the same order as the data sent by the sending end.
• Flow control: TCP controls the speed of data transmission through the sliding window protocol to avoid network congestion.
• Connection: TCP needs to establish a connection before transmitting data, and needs to release the connection after the transmission is completed.

TCP is suitable for application scenarios that require high data reliability, such as file transfer, email, etc. In addition, TCP can also be used in protocols such as HTTP and FTP.

2、UDP

UDP is a connectionless protocol, it does not need to establish a connection before transmitting data. UDP has the following characteristics:

• No connection: UDP does not need to establish a connection, and sends data directly.
• Unreliability: UDP does not guarantee the reliability and integrity of data, which may be lost or out of order.
• Efficiency: UDP does not have flow control and congestion control like TCP, and can transmit data faster.
• Disorder: UDP does not guarantee the sequential transmission of data, and the data received by the receiving end may be different from the data sent by the sending end.

UDP is suitable for application scenarios with high real-time requirements, such as video conferencing, online games, real-time audio, etc. In addition, UDP can also be used in scenarios such as DNS query and broadcasting.

3. Distinguished contact

The difference between TCP and UDP is:

• Connection: TCP establishes a connection, UDP does not need to establish a connection.
• Reliability: TCP guarantees the reliability and integrity of data, while UDP does not guarantee the reliability and integrity of data.
• Orderliness: TCP guarantees the orderly transmission of data, while UDP does not guarantee the orderly transmission of data.
• Flow control: TCP has flow control and congestion control, UDP has no flow control and congestion control.
• Data format: TCP packet format includes header and data, UDP packet format only includes header and data.

4. Use scenarios

The usage scenarios for TCP and UDP are as follows:

• TCP: Application scenarios that require high data reliability, such as file transfer and email.
• UDP: Application scenarios that require high real-time performance, such as video conferencing, online games, and real-time audio.

In short, both TCP and UDP are common network transmission protocols, and each has applicable scenarios and characteristics. In practical applications, an appropriate protocol should be selected according to specific needs.