EDUCBA

EDUCBA

MENUMENU
  • Blog
  • Free Courses
  • All Courses
  • All in One Bundle
  • Login
Home Software Development Software Development Tutorials Top Differences Tutorial TCP vs UDP

TCP vs UDP

Swati Tawde
Article bySwati Tawde
Priya Pedamkar
Reviewed byPriya Pedamkar

Updated May 4, 2023

TCP vs UDP

Difference Between TCP vs UDP

The following article provides an outline for TCP vs UDP. TCP is link-oriented, and UDP is connection-free. TCP links the transmitter to the receiver until data can be transmitted. Until transmitting data, UDP does not create a connection. TCP is trustworthy. The receiver expects to receive data transmitted via a TCP protocol. It retrieves data and sends back lost data. TCP monitors and tracks error packages to prevent data loss or corruption.

Start Your Free Software Development Course

Web development, programming languages, Software testing & others

What is TCP?

TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol. TCP is a connection-oriented protocol, i.e., it provides a process to process (end-to-end) communications. The transmission control protocol shows the relationship between other protocols in the TCP/IP protocol. It is an intermediary between the application program and network operations as it lies between the application and network layers. TCP delivers data or messages in the form of packets. TCP provides different features like sequence number, flow control, error control, acknowledgment number, congestion control, etc., to ensure that other activities cannot affect the delivered packet.

What is UDP?

UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol. It is used to send a small message from one host to another. It is a connectionless protocol, i.e., transferring data from one end to another; there is no need for connection establishment. UDP also lies between the application layer and the network layer. It also delivers data or information in the form of packets; these packets are called user datagrams. UDP uses multiplexing to handle the outgoing user datagrams from multiple processes and demultiplexing to handle the incoming user datagrams that go to different processes on the same host.

Comparison Between (Infographic)

Below is the list of the top 11 differences between TCP and UDP:

TCP vs UDP infographic

Key Difference Between TCP vs UDP

Let us discuss some of the major key differences between TCP and UDP:

  • One of the main key differences between TCP and UDP is TCP is connection-oriented, and UDP is connectionless. To transfer data, TCP must establish a connection with other hosts.
  • TCP uses sequence numbers for numbering the packets during the transmission of data. So that at the receiver site, data can be collected sequentially using sequence numbers. While UDP does not use sequence numbers to number the packets, it isn’t easy.
  • TCP provides a flow control service to handle the receiving data’s overflow, while UDP does not provide a flow control service.
  • TCP provides reliable services, while UDP does not offer reliable services.
  • In TCP, retransmission of the segment occurs through the window mechanism. Since there is no window mechanism in UDP, it does not support the retransmission of the datagram.
  • TCP assigns an acknowledgment number to each segment, whereas UDP does not use an acknowledgment number for datagrams.
  • TCP is a linked protocol, while UDP is connection-free. This means TCP tracks all transmitted data and usually requires acknowledgment per byte. UDP is generally used on protocols where a few lost datagrams don’t matter. It doesn’t use any accreditation. TCP is a secure information transfer protocol because of its acknowledgments. It guarantees that the system sends only ordered, non-duplicated, and complete information to the top-layer application.
  • TCP provides services such as Process to process communication, stream delivery service, flow control, error control, congestion control, full-duplex communication, multiplexing, demultiplexing, acknowledgment number, system number, sequence number, and byte number. In contrast, UDP has features like Process to process communication, multiplexing, and demultiplexing, along with Encapsulation and decapsulation.
  • TCP has features such as flow control using sliding windows, window side adjustment heuristics, and congestion avoidance algorithms to manage data flow. At the same time, UDP does not provide features to collect the data flow.
  • Data Quality Sustainability is outstanding in TCP compared to UDP because it can manage small to extensive data, while UDP can handle small to moderate amounts of data.

Comparison Table of TCP vs UDP

The table below summarizes the comparisons between TCP vs UDP:

Points

TCP

UDP

Full Form TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol. UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol.
Protocol TCP is connection-oriented. UDP is connectionless.
Packet Format Packets in TCP are called a segment. Packets in UDP are called user datagrams.
Header Size TCP header is 8 bytes. UDP header is 20 to 60 bytes.
Acknowledgment TCP is a connection-oriented service that sends an acknowledgment when all the data is delivered. UDP does not send an acknowledgment when data delivery is done because it is a connectionless service.
Error Control Mechanism TCP supports an error control mechanism. There is no error control mechanism in UDP except for checksum.
The Process to Process Communication It provides a process to process communication using port numbers. It provides the Process to process communication using port numbers and IP addresses.
Transmission Speed The transmission speed of the packet is low. The transmission speed of the packet is high.
Services The Process to process communication, stream delivery service, reliable service, flow control, error control, congestion control, full-duplex communication, multiplexing, demultiplexing, acknowledgment number, system number, sequence number, and byte number. The Process to process communication, Encapsulation, decapsulation, multiplexing, and demultiplexing.
Reliability More reliable. Moderately reliable as compared to TCP.
Window Mechanism In TCP, the window mechanism Is there. In UDP, there is no window mechanism.

Conclusion

This article shows what TCP and UDP, head-to-head comparisons, and their key differences are.

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to TCP vs UDP. Here we discuss the overview of TCP vs UDP and see the head-to-head comparison and key differences. You can also go through our other suggested articles to learn more –

  1. FTP vs TFTP
  2. Abstraction vs Encapsulation
  3. OSI Model vs TCP/IP Model
  4. Mac vs IP Addresses
All in One Excel VBA Bundle
500+ Hours of HD Videos
15 Learning Paths
120+ Courses
Verifiable Certificate of Completion
Lifetime Access
Financial Analyst Masters Training Program
2000+ Hours of HD Videos
43 Learning Paths
550+ Courses
Verifiable Certificate of Completion
Lifetime Access
All in One Data Science Bundle
2000+ Hour of HD Videos
80 Learning Paths
400+ Courses
Verifiable Certificate of Completion
Lifetime Access
All in One Software Development Bundle
5000+ Hours of HD Videos
149 Learning Paths
1050+ Courses
Verifiable Certificate of Completion
Lifetime Access
Primary Sidebar
All in One Software Development Bundle5000+ Hours of HD Videos | 149 Learning Paths | 1050+ Courses | Verifiable Certificate of Completion | Lifetime Access
Financial Analyst Masters Training Program2000+ Hours of HD Videos | 43 Learning Paths | 550+ Courses | Verifiable Certificate of Completion | Lifetime Access
Footer
About Us
  • Blog
  • Who is EDUCBA?
  • Sign Up
  • Live Classes
  • Certificate from Top Institutions
  • Contact Us
  • Verifiable Certificate
  • Reviews
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  •  
Apps
  • iPhone & iPad
  • Android
Resources
  • Free Courses
  • Java Tutorials
  • Python Tutorials
  • All Tutorials
Certification Courses
  • All Courses
  • Software Development Course - All in One Bundle
  • Become a Python Developer
  • Java Course
  • Become a Selenium Automation Tester
  • Become an IoT Developer
  • ASP.NET Course
  • VB.NET Course
  • PHP Course

ISO 10004:2018 & ISO 9001:2015 Certified

© 2023 - EDUCBA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE CERTIFICATION NAMES ARE THE TRADEMARKS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

Let’s Get Started

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

EDUCBA

*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you

EDUCBA
Free Software Development Course

Web development, programming languages, Software testing & others

By continuing above step, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you

EDUCBA

*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you
EDUCBA

*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you
EDUCBA Login

Forgot Password?

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

This website or its third-party tools use cookies, which are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. By closing this banner, scrolling this page, clicking a link or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to our Privacy Policy

Loading . . .
Quiz
Question:

Answer:

Quiz Result
Total QuestionsCorrect AnswersWrong AnswersPercentage

Explore 1000+ varieties of Mock tests View more