TCP vs. UDP
The transmission control protocol (TCP) consists of four different layers: the network layer, the link layer, the transport layer, and the application layer. Each layer sends a message to a specific port address and enables communication.
The user datagram protocol (UDP), on the other hand, is a connectionless internet protocol that allows communication between the server and the client.
Feature by feature comparison
The following table compares TCP and UDP in terms of specific features.
| Feature | TCP | UDP |
|---|---|---|
| Reliability | Yes | No |
| Data loss | No | Yes |
| Data transfer speed | Slow | Fast |
| Header size | 20 bytes | 8 bytes |
| Error checking | Yes | Yes |
| Error recovery | Yes | No |
| Flow control | Yes | No |
The most significant difference between the two protocols is that TCP only transfers data after the conformational response from the server has been received, while UDP transfers data without any response. This means that UDP is prone to data security threats while TCP is immune.
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