Internet Protocols

IP (Internet Protocol)

IP is a network protocol responsible for addressing and routing data packets across networks. It ensures that packets are sent from the source device to the correct destination device based on their IP address. There are two versions: IPv4 (32-bit address) and IPv6 (128-bit address).

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)

TCP is a reliable, connection-oriented transport layer protocol that ensures data is delivered accurately and in the correct order. It handles the segmentation of data into packets, provides error-checking, and manages retransmissions of lost packets, making it suitable for applications requiring reliability (e.g., web browsing, email).

DNS (Domain Name System)

DNS is a hierarchical system that translates human-readable domain names (like www.example.com) into IP addresses (like 192.168.1.1) that computers use to locate each other on the network. It functions like an internet directory for domain names.

UDP (User Datagram Protocol)

UDP is a connectionless, unreliable transport layer protocol. Unlike TCP, it does not guarantee the delivery or ordering of packets. It's faster but less reliable, often used for real-time applications like video streaming or online gaming, where speed is more important than error correction.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

FTP is an application layer protocol used for transferring files between computers over a network, such as the internet. It operates on the client-server model, with one machine acting as the server (hosting files) and the other as the client (requesting and receiving files).

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)

HTTP is the protocol used for transferring hypertext (web pages) over the World Wide Web. It's a request-response protocol where a client (usually a web browser) sends a request to a server for resources, and the server responds with the requested data (e.g., HTML pages).

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

SMTP is a protocol used for sending and forwarding email between servers. It is responsible for transmitting email from a sender’s email client to the recipient’s mail server, and typically operates over port 25. It works in conjunction with other protocols like IMAP or POP3 to retrieve the email.