Difference between TCP and UDP

TCP and UDP are the way of transmitting data over the network. They have many similarities but there are also some difference between TCP and UDP which we will discuss later.

What is Protocol?

In the networking world, a protocol is a set rule that every computer on a network follows. Protocol is useful for moving data from one place to another on a network.

What is TCP or TCP/IP Protocol?

TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. This is the standard protocol model that a network uses.

TCP/IP model has the 5 layers which are as follow:

1. Application Layer
2. TCP
3. IP
4. Data Link Layer
5. Physical Layer

The TCP/IP takes care of number of bits sent and whether all the bits are received by the destination computer or not.

What is UDP?

UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol. UDP transfers data in a connection less and unreliable manner. It does not check whether all the bits have reached the destination computer and may result in loss of data during transmission.

The best part of UDP is, even if some bits are lost, the image and audio file are composed with slight changes that will not disturb the original image or audio.

TCP Vs UDP

In our digital world these protocols have their advantages and specific uses. Let’s see the difference between both protocols.

#	TCP	UDP
1.	It is a connection-oriented protocol.	It is a connection-less protocol.
2.	Data units of TCP are known as packets.	Data units of UDP are known as datagrams (It is also called packets).
3.	To establish a reliable connection, TCP uses a three-way handshake.	But UDP does not use a handshake process.
4.	TCP is slower than UDP.	It is simpler, faster, and more efficient than TCP.
5.	TCP does not support Broadcasting	UDP support Broadcasting
6.	TCP protocol is used by HTTPS, HTTP, SMTP, POP, FTP, etc	UDP protocol is used by Video conferencing, streaming, DNS, VoIP service etc
7.	It is reliable and it guarantees the delivery of data	It does not guarantee the delivery of data.