Comparison Between TCP and UDP

In the world of technology, users can choose the internet protocol to manage server traffic. As technology use increases, everyone has become fully dependent on the tech world. No one is ready to compromise with the Network, Servers and Data Protocols, as these might affect their work-life balance and lives as well.

Similarly, in order to control and access Internet Protocol Traffic, one is free to choose the right protocol for him or her depending upon his or her usage. The two major and important Internet protocols are-

• TCP
• UDP

What is TCP?

TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol, which deals with the study of connection-oriented protocols. In simple words, TCP determines that a device must establish a connection before sending, receiving, or exchanging data or information and should close the connection as well after sending, receiving, or exchanging data and information. It has a built-in system for checking, correcting, and identifying errors, which is completely reliable.

What is UDP?

UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol, which deals with the study of datagram-oriented protocols. In simple words, UDP determines that a pre-established connection is not required to share or exchange data and information. It does not involve error checking and is not ideal for sending and receiving emails, viewing web pages, or downloading a file. It is mostly used in real-time connections and sending broadcast messages.

Difference Between TCP and UDP

The TCP and UDP protocols are differentiated on the following basis-

Examples of TCP and UDP protocols

The best way to explain and understand the TCP and UDP protocols is through real-life examples.

Text Communication –

Since everyone is aware of the importance of Text Communication in the present era, no one is ready to tolerate any sort of discrepancy in texting between the sender and the receiver. Hence, TCP is the best protocol to be used in Text Communication due to its reliability and error control.

For instance: WhatsApp, Instagram, Google Chat, etc.

Transfer of files or FTP –

TCP protocol is used while transferring files to ensure that the data and information are shared completely and securely. FTP requires two TCP connections-

1. Control Connection
2. Data Connection.

For instance: FileZilla and Servers, etc.

HyperText Transfer Protocol –

HTTP is hence used to manage all the data present on the World Wide Web as it uses the TCP protocol to access the web pages on the internet. Since the TCP provides error control and retransmission of data segments, it is highly used in the network domain.

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol –

SMTP is a layering protocol commonly used in sending Emails from one system to another system, which further uses the services of TCP to establish a connection with the SMTP server. And, once it accepts the connection request, it allows the sender to send the mail.

For instance: Yahoo, Gmail, etc.

Online Gaming –

All the online games we play require the UDP protocol. Though the players never compromise with the quality of network available to play the game, he or she seeks to install the best server available in that particular area or region. And, since the UDP protocol is the fastest, it does not let the players face any lagging or connectivity issues, as no amount of delay is welcomed by the online gamers across the globe.

For instance: All the available online games

Video Conferencing –

All the Video Conferencing apps use the services of the UDP protocol, as it is faster than the TCP protocol and cannot manage to have any delays in the exchange of data and information.

For instance: Skype, Google Meet, and Zoom, etc.

Voice Over IP(VoIP) –

VoIP is almost similar to Video Conferencing and its services, where the apps use the UDP protocol for converting one’s voice to digital data and further transmit it over the whole network. For instance: WhatsApp voice calling and Wi-Fi calling, etc.

Domain Name System –

DNS is a service used to map domain names to IP addresses at the application layer, as it can be looked at as a distributed database having a hierarchical named Server. It further uses the UDP protocol for fetching IP addresses, as it is faster than the TCP protocol and hence manages to provide a high-speed service to all the servers and networks installed.