Application Layer Overview

These flashcards focus on key terminology and concepts from the lecture on the Application Layer in computer networking.

Application Layer

The layer in computer networking that deals with the functions and protocols for application services.

Client-Server Paradigm

A model where a client requests services and resources from a server, which provides them.

Peer-to-Peer Paradigm

A model where each participant can act as both client and server, allowing direct communication with others.

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol, the application-layer protocol used for transferring web pages.

SMTP

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, the protocol used for sending email messages between servers.

IMAP

Internet Mail Access Protocol, used by email clients to retrieve and manage messages from a mail server.

DNS

Domain Name System, the system that translates human-readable domain names to IP addresses.

Socket

An endpoint for sending or receiving data across a network, a combination of an IP address and a port number.

Transport Layer

The layer responsible for providing communication services directly to the application processes running on different hosts.

TCP

Transmission Control Protocol, a connection-oriented transport layer protocol ensuring reliable data transfer.

UDP

User Datagram Protocol, a connectionless transport layer protocol that does not guarantee delivery of data.

Cookies

Small pieces of data stored by a web server on the client's computer to track user behavior and maintain session state.

Web Cache

A storage layer between client and server that saves copies of frequently accessed web content to reduce latency.

CDN

Content Delivery Network, a system of distributed servers that deliver web content to users based on their geographic location.

Multimedia Streaming

The process of delivering video or audio content over the Internet in real time.

Congestion Control

Mechanisms to prevent network congestion by controlling the rate of data transmission.

DDoS Attack

Distributed Denial of Service attack, a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal functioning of a targeted server, service, or network.

QUIC

Quick UDP Internet Connections, a transport layer network protocol designed by Google to improve performance for HTTP traffic.