What is the difference between TCP and UDP protocols?

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TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) are both transport layer protocols used for data transmission over IP networks. Although they serve the same purpose of delivering data, they differ in several key aspects. Here are the main differences between TCP and UDP:

Connection Orientation: TCP is a connection-oriented protocol. Before data transmission, a connection is established between the sender and receiver through a three-way handshake. TCP ensures reliable and ordered delivery of data by employing acknowledgment mechanisms and error-checking. In contrast, UDP is connectionless, meaning it does not establish a connection before transmitting. It simply sends packets without any guarantee of delivery or order. CCNA training in Pune
 
Reliability: TCP provides reliable data delivery. It guarantees that the data sent from the sender will be received by the receiver. If any packets are lost or damaged during transmission, TCP retransmits them. In UDP, there is no guarantee of reliable delivery. It does not perform retransmissions, so any lost or damaged packets are not recovered. UDP is suitable for applications where real-time data transfer is critical, such as video streaming or voice communication, where a small amount of data loss can be tolerated.

Ordering: TCP ensures in-order delivery of packets. It maintains the sequence of packets as they were sent by the sender and makes sure they are received in the same order by the receiver. UDP does not guarantee ordering. Packets can be received in a different order from how they were sent, and it is the responsibility of the receiving application to handle packet sequencing, if necessary.

Congestion Control: TCP includes congestion control mechanisms to prevent network congestion. It monitors network conditions and adjusts its transmission rate to avoid overloading the network. UDP does not have built-in congestion control. It continues to send packets at the maximum rate specified by the application, which can lead to network congestion in high-bandwidth scenarios.

Header Size: TCP has a larger header size compared to UDP. TCP headers contain additional control information, including source and destination port numbers, sequence numbers, acknowledgment numbers, and various control flags. UDP headers, on the other hand, are simpler, containing fewer fields, which results in smaller overhead. also, check CCNA course in Pune

Application Suitability: TCP is commonly used for applications that require reliable data transfer and ordering, such as web browsing, email, file transfer, and other general-purpose applications. UDP is typically utilized for real-time applications, where timeliness takes priority over reliability, such as voice and video streaming, online gaming, DNS, and DHCP. CCNA classes in Pune

Understanding the differences between TCP and UDP is crucial for selecting the appropriate protocol based on the specific requirements of an application, considering factors such as reliability, speed, ordering, and network congestion.