Common Protocols

Protocol

Protocol

A set of rules enabling communication between devices.

TCP/IP

Combination of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) for error-free data transmission and Internet Protocol (IP) for routing packets across a WAN.

Ethernet

Set of protocols for LAN communication.

Wi-Fi

Set of protocols for wireless communication; networks heavily using Wi-Fi are WLANs.

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol for clients and servers to exchange requests for HTML web pages.

HTTPS

Secure version of HTTP with encryption, used for sensitive data handling.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol for sending files between computers, typically over a WAN.

POP

Post Office Protocol to retrieve email from a mail server, removing it from the server.

IMAP

Internet Message Access Protocol to retrieve email from a mail server, keeping it on the server for synchronization.

SMTP

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol for transferring outgoing emails between clients and servers.