IPTCPUDP

IPTCPUDP refers to the core set of protocols in the Internet Protocol Suite, commonly known as TCP/IP. IP provides addressing and routing for packets across interconnected networks. It defines logical addressing (IPv4 and IPv6) and determines how packets are forwarded from source to destination, typically via routers. IP operates at the network layer and hands off payload to transport protocols.

TCP is a connection-oriented transport protocol built on top of IP. It offers reliable, ordered data delivery using sequence numbers, acknowledgments, retransmission, and flow control. TCP establishes a connection through a three-way handshake and supports multiplexing through ports, enabling multiple concurrent streams between endpoints. It is widely used for applications where data integrity and order are essential, such as web traffic and file transfers.

UDP is a simpler, connectionless transport protocol on top of IP. It delivers datagrams with no guarantees of delivery, ordering, or protection against duplication, resulting in lower latency and overhead. UDP uses ports for multiplexing but lacks the reliability features of TCP, making it suitable for real-time applications, voice and video streaming, DNS queries, and lightweight request–response protocols.

In practice, many applications choose between TCP and UDP based on the desired trade-offs between reliability and speed. Some protocols use UDP with reliability mechanisms implemented at the application layer. IP fragmentation can affect performance for both TCP and UDP; path MTU discovery helps prevent fragmentation. IPv4 and IPv6 differ in header formats, address space, and features such as extension headers and relocation of certain fields.

The standards and ongoing development of these protocols are maintained by the IETF. Key documents include RFCs for IPv4, IPv6, TCP, and UDP, which specify addressing, routing, and transport-level behavior that underpins Internet communications.