UDPprotokollissa

UDPprotokollissa, known more commonly as the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), is a core network protocol within the Internet protocol suite. It operates at the transport layer, below the application layer and alongside the more well-known Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). UDP is characterized by its simplicity and speed. It offers a connectionless communication service, meaning that data packets, called datagrams, are sent without establishing a prior connection or confirming delivery. This lack of overhead makes UDP significantly faster than TCP.

The primary function of UDP is to provide a way for applications to send datagrams over an IP network. It includes a checksum field to detect errors in the header and data, but it does not guarantee delivery, order, or error correction. If a datagram is lost or corrupted, UDP itself does not retransmit it. This unreliability makes UDP suitable for applications where speed is paramount and some data loss is acceptable, or where the application layer itself handles reliability. Examples include streaming media, online gaming, and certain types of DNS queries. UDP is often preferred when low latency is critical, as the overhead of connection establishment and acknowledgments in TCP would introduce undesirable delays.