Advantages of UDP

What is User Datagram Protocol?

Though Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is the dominant transport layer protocol used with most of the Internet services; provides assured delivery, reliability, and much more but all these services cost us additional overhead and latency. Here, UDP comes into the picture. For real-time services like computer gaming, voice or video communication, and live conferences; we need UDP. Since high performance is needed, UDP permits packets to be dropped instead of processing delayed packets. There is no error checking in UDP, so it also saves bandwidth....

UDP Header

UDP header is an 8-byte fixed and simple header, while for TCP it may vary from 20 bytes to 60 bytes. The first 8 Bytes contain all necessary header information and the remaining part consists of data. UDP port number fields are each 16 bits long, therefore the range for port numbers is defined from 0 to 65535; port number 0 is reserved. Port numbers help to distinguish different user requests or processes....

Applications of UDP

Used for simple request-response communication when the size of data is less and hence there is lesser concern about flow and error control. It is a suitable protocol for multicasting as UDP supports packet switching. UDP is used for some routing update protocols like RIP(Routing Information Protocol). Normally used for real-time applications which can not tolerate uneven delays between sections of a received message. UDP is widely used in online gaming, where low latency and high-speed communication is essential for a good gaming experience. Game servers often send small, frequent packets of data to clients, and UDP is well suited for this type of communication as it is fast and lightweight. Streaming media applications, such as IPTV, online radio, and video conferencing, use UDP to transmit real-time audio and video data. The loss of some packets can be tolerated in these applications, as the data is continuously flowing and does not require retransmission. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services, such as Skype and WhatsApp, use UDP for real-time voice communication. The delay in voice communication can be noticeable if packets are delayed due to congestion control, so UDP is used to ensure fast and efficient data transmission. DNS (Domain Name System) also uses UDP for its query/response messages. DNS queries are typically small and require a quick response time, making UDP a suitable protocol for this application. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) uses UDP to dynamically assign IP addresses to devices on a network. DHCP messages are typically small, and the delay caused by packet loss or retransmission is generally not critical for this application. Following implementations uses UDP as a transport layer protocol:  NTP (Network Time Protocol) DNS (Domain Name Service) BOOTP, DHCP. NNP (Network News Protocol) Quote of the day protocol TFTP, RTSP, RIP. The application layer can do some of the tasks through UDP-  Trace Route Record Route Timestamp UDP takes a datagram from Network Layer, attaches its header, and sends it to the user. So, it works fast. Actually, UDP is a null protocol if you remove the checksum field. Reduce the requirement of computer resources. When using the Multicast or Broadcast to transfer. The transmission of Real-time packets, mainly in multimedia applications....

Advantages of UDP

Speed: UDP is faster than TCP because it does not have the overhead of establishing a connection and ensuring reliable data delivery. Lower latency: Since there is no connection establishment, there is lower latency and faster response time. Simplicity: UDP has a simpler protocol design than TCP, making it easier to implement and manage. Broadcast support: UDP supports broadcasting to multiple recipients, making it useful for applications such as video streaming and online gaming. Smaller packet size: UDP uses smaller packet sizes than TCP, which can reduce network congestion and improve overall network performance. User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is more efficient in terms of both latency and bandwidth....

Disadvantages of UDP

No reliability: UDP does not guarantee delivery of packets or order of delivery, which can lead to missing or duplicate data. No congestion control: UDP does not have congestion control, which means that it can send packets at a rate that can cause network congestion. No flow control: UDP does not have flow control, which means that it can overwhelm the receiver with packets that it cannot handle. Vulnerable to attacks: UDP is vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks, where an attacker can flood a network with UDP packets, overwhelming the network and causing it to crash. Limited use cases: UDP is not suitable for applications that require reliable data delivery, such as email or file transfers, and is better suited for applications that can tolerate some data loss, such as video streaming or online gaming....

UDP Pseudo Header

The purpose of using a pseudo-header is to verify that the UDP packet has reached its correct destination The correct destination consist of a specific machine and a specific protocol port number within that machine...

GATE Questions for Practice

GATE CS 2013, Question 12 GATE CS 2012, Question 65 GATE CS 2007, Question 20 GATE CS 2005, Question 23 GATE IT 2008, Question 66 GATE Mock 2015, Question 5...

Frequently Asked Questions on UDP – FAQs

1. Name the protocols that uses UDP?...