Internet Protocol
What Is Internet Protocol?
Internet Protocol, more commonly referred to as IP, is the method or protocol that enables the correct transmission of data from one host(computer) to another over the Internet.
The concept was first introduced and defined by Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn in a paper published in May 1974 and continues to be developed and supplemented. To this day, any computer system made by any manufacturer that adheres to the Internet Protocol can be interconnected and interoperable with the Internet.
This also implies that it is precisely due to IP that the Internet has rapidly grown to become the world's greatest open communications network.
How Does Internet Protocol Work?
Each computer has a unique IP address, akin to a phone number, which identifies it on the network. When transmitting data, the data is split into packets, each containing the IP addresses of the sender and receiver. Packets are routed from gateway to gateway based on their destination IP addresses until they reach the gateway closest to the final destination, which then delivers the packets to the intended final point.
During data transmission, a message is split into packets that may take various paths to the destination and arrive out of order. IP handles packet delivery, while TCP, Transmission Control Protocol, reassembles them in the correct sequence. Together, they're known as TCP/IP. UDP is another common transport protocol, differing in how it handles packets.
What Are TCP/IP and UDP/IP?
TCP is a transport protocol designed to be used with IP to specify how data is sent and received. It will establish a connection with the receiver and confirm to them that the packets have all arrived and are in the correct order. If some packets are lost during the process, TCP/IP will retransmit them, prioritizing stability over speed.
On the contrary, UDP, or User Datagram Protocol, is another transmission protocol that works with IP to bring very fast transmission speeds, but with low reliability. This is because UDP does not ensure that packets arrive in an orderly way, nor does it build a connection with the receiver before transmission begins.
