transportslaag

A transportslaag, often translated as transport layer, is a fundamental concept in computer networking. It operates within the layered architecture of network protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) model and the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. The primary role of the transport layer is to provide logical communication between processes running on different hosts. It takes the data provided by the application layer and segments it into smaller pieces, known as segments or datagrams.

This layer is responsible for end-to-end communication, meaning it manages the delivery of data from the originating application process to the destination application process. Key functions of the transport layer include segmentation and reassembly, connection management, multiplexing and demultiplexing, and error control and flow control. Different protocols exist at the transport layer, with the most prominent being Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). TCP offers reliable, ordered, and error-checked delivery of data, establishing a virtual connection before data transfer. UDP, on the other hand, provides a simpler, faster, but unreliable service, sending datagrams without establishing a connection or guaranteeing delivery. The choice between TCP and UDP depends on the specific requirements of the application.