SDP

SDP is an acronym with several meanings in technology and policy. The most widely used in multimedia networking is the Session Description Protocol, which provides a standard way to describe the parameters of multimedia sessions.

Session Description Protocol describes the initialization parameters for streaming media. It is used by signaling protocols such as SIP, RTSP, and WebRTC to convey details like media types, codecs, transport addresses, and timing. An SDP description is a text-based, line-oriented format that includes session-level information and media-level descriptions. Each line begins with a letter and an equals sign (for example, v= for protocol version, o= for origin, s= for session name, c= for connection data, t= for timing, m= for media descriptions, and a= for attributes). SDP itself does not carry media data; instead, it instructs endpoints how to negotiate and establish the actual media streams.

In telecommunications, SDP can also refer to a Service Delivery Platform, a framework of middleware and services that supports the development, deployment, and management of network-based services. A typical SDP provides components for service orchestration, data management, billing, and policy enforcement to enable rapid creation and monetization of new offerings by carriers and service providers.

Software Defined Perimeter is another meaning of SDP in information security. This model uses dynamic, policy-driven access controls to minimize exposure of resources by hiding them behind a perimeter and granting access only to authenticated entities based on context, behavior, and compliance.

Other specialized uses exist in policy and planning contexts, such as Sustainable Development Plans, where the acronym denotes strategic frameworks for balancing environmental, social, and economic goals.