In science in the field of technology, especially computer networks, there are many network terms that may still be unfamiliar to ordinary people, such as the Differences Between TCP And UDP. Both terms are actually very important to know in studying computer network science.
TCP and UDP themselves have different functions and information that can be put to good use to meet digitalization needs such as when we are surfing in cyberspace. Then what is TCP and UDP? What is the difference between TCP and UDP, and how do each protocol work? Let’s look at the following article.
Table of Contents
What is TCP and UDP?
UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol is part of the TCP / IP transport layer system that has unreliable characteristics and does not connect one or more hosts in a TCP / IP network.
For more details, the following is the definition of TCP and UDP.
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)
TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol which is one of the most useful technologies in the world of computer networks. Every computer now uses this TCP protocol to be able to connect to each other to send data and receive data.
TCP has advantages in terms of reading data quickly so that it can transmit data more efficiently.
TCP/IP Characteristics
The characteristics of TCP lie in its orientation in prioritizing connections. Before data is transferred by TCP, this protocol will establish a connection session.
If connectivity occurs or is not smooth, then TCP cannot be relied on to send messages as needed.
Reliable
Reliable or reliable means that this TCP protocol can be relied on in terms of sending data so that it is safe and in order to reach its destination. Have reliable and efficient data transmission methods and systems.
Connection Oriented (connection-oriented)
Connection oriented. TCP will perform connectivity between two hosts before transmitting data.
Two processes running between the application layers must first be negotiated in order to establish a connection session first.
TCP connections can be closed using the TCP connection termination process.
Full-Duplex
For each TCP host, it has two-way connectivity between two hosts i.e. outgoing and incoming lines.
TCP runs in a lower technology layer that supports full-duplex, so data can be simultaneously received and sent.
The TCP header contains the sequence number or the TCP sequence number of the transmitted data and an identifier of the incoming data.
Have Flow Control Service
Flow control is a service that belongs to the TCP protocol which will monitor and limit the amount of data that will be sent at one time.
Basically, the data that is sent can sometimes cause road problems such as traffic jams on the IP internetwork network.
To prevent data congestion, TCP will carry out flow control by preventing the recipient from receiving data that cannot be denied or the term buffer.
TCP implements flow control on the receiving end which indicates the amount of buffer that is still available on the receiving end.
Open Platform
Open platform or platform independent ie TCP is not bound by a particular type of software or hardware alias stands alone.
Examples of Applications Using the TCP Protocol
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
- TELNET
- SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
How TCP/IP Works
The following are the stages of how TCP works in order:
- The data will be broken into small parts that will be adjusted to the size of the bandwidth or the width of the frequency on the data sent.
- At the TCP layer the data will be packaged according to the required header information. That way the data that has been broken down will then be rearranged when it reaches its destination.
- After the data is packaged with the TCP header then the data will be transmitted to the IP layer.
- An IP that receives data from TCP and adds its own header to the data.
- Then the IP will forward the data to its destination.
UDP (User Datagram Protocol)
UDP is a protocol that runs at the transport layer that is unreliable or connectionless and is also the opposite of the TCP transport layer.
The use of the unreliable UDP protocol does not send information or acknowledgments even if the data sender fails.
UDP transmits data without using an identifier number. So the possibility of data being damaged during shipping is very possible.
UDP Characteristics
The use of the UDP protocol is indeed necessary if you do connectivity that requires speed without worrying about the integrity of the data when transferring data between hosts.
Lightweight
Light weight aka light. Yes UDP does not require memory and processor resources, some application layer protocols require the use of lightweight protocols which are capable of performing specific functions by exchanging messages.
Broadcast transmission
UDP without using a connection first on a specific host, so broadcast transmission is possible.
An application layer protocol makes it possible to send data packets to multiple destinations at once by using a broadcast or multicast address. This is the opposite of the TCP protocol which sends one to one transmission.
UDP does not provide a buffering mechanism
UDP does not have a buffering mechanism for incoming or outgoing data. While the buffering task occurs in the application layer protocol above UDP.
Differences between TCP and UDP
The differences between TCP and UDP is very obvious even though they are both computer network protocols. Here are the differences between TCP and UDP:
Operational Characteristics
As previously discussed, the characteristics of each protocol are different.
The differences between TCP and UDP in terms of characteristics is the occurrence of connectivity between hosts on the TCP protocol while UDP does not connect first.
TCP prioritizes the connection between hosts so that the order of data packets received is in accordance with the initial data sent
Meanwhile, UDP does not perform a data sorting method so that it can allow failure when the data is received.
Data Transfer System
The next differences between TCP and UDP lies in the data transfer system. For UDP works in a sequential manner so that when data is sent it is unpredictable when it will arrive the first time.
As for the TCP protocol sending data sequentially, the system will receive data sequentially without worrying about the difficulty of managing data.
Speed VS Reliability
Talking about speed and reliability, of course, this is the most visible differences between TCP and UDP for each of these protocols.
TCP is a reliable protocol. The advantage of TCP is that it has a unique system that allows data to be intact even when the server connection is lost.
TCP is suitable for sending important data such as business or personal documents which if there is a missing piece of data then TCP will immediately request for the lost data part to become a unified whole.
For UDP itself is a protocol that has advantages in terms of speed. Although fast this protocol is not reliable so that at the time of data transmission the integrity of the data cannot be ascertained. So many UDP users complain of corrupt or corrupt data when opened.
Port between TCP and UDP
The next differences between TCP and UDP lies in the use of ports. When using TCP, users can accept ports with 16-bits and all of them are integers.
Each port has a unique and different lift. In contrast to UDP, which uses ports, it is classified into three types.
Which user can choose to use registered type port, well known port or ephemeral port. Each port has a different and unique number.
Ease of Use between TCP and UDP
The differences between TCP and UDP in terms of ease of use may be relative to each user. There are some people who may prefer to use UDP but there are also those who prefer TCP.
In terms of convenience, TCP is considered easier to operate than UDP. Basically TCP can be adjusted according to the needs when sending data.
In contrast to TCP, UDP actually makes the user to do extra work, such as when sending data that failed to send new data.
You can understand the differences between TCP and UDP well in NetData
So the conclusion is that the differences between TCP and UDP can be said that TCP is a protocol that ensures the integrity of data for the recipient. Meanwhile, UDP does not prioritize the order of data but has advantages in terms of data transfer speed.
Each protocol does have its own advantages, for more details you can see some other articles about the differences between TCP and UDP on the NetData website, namely at nds.id.
