UDP User Datagram Protocol

UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol, which is a transport layer protocol that operates on top of IP. It provides a simple, connectionless communication service that does not guarantee reliable delivery of data or provide congestion control.

UDP is often used for applications that require low-latency and minimal overhead, such as real-time streaming video or voice over IP (VoIP). Because it does not have the overhead of establishing and maintaining a connection, UDP can transmit data faster than TCP.

UDP packets are also called datagrams and consist of a header and payload. The header includes the source and destination port numbers and the length of the payload. Unlike TCP, UDP does not include sequence numbers, acknowledgement numbers, or checksums in its header.

Because UDP does not provide reliable delivery or error correction, it is the responsibility of the application to handle any lost or corrupted data. UDP is often used in conjunction with error-correcting codes or other techniques to ensure the integrity of the transmitted data.