What is UDP?
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a simple way for computers to send short messages over the internet without checking if they arrive safely. It’s fast because it skips the extra steps that make other methods more reliable.
Let's break it down
- User Datagram: a tiny packet of data that a program wants to send.
- Protocol: a set of rules that tell computers how to talk to each other.
- Simple way: it just puts the data on the network and forgets about it.
- Without checking if they arrive safely: it doesn’t wait for a “got it!” reply or resend lost pieces.
- Fast: because it avoids the waiting and extra messages that other methods use.
Why does it matter?
If you need information to move quickly and can tolerate occasional missing pieces, UDP gives you speed and low latency. This matters for things like live video, online gaming, or real-time sensors where waiting for confirmation would cause annoying delays.
Where is it used?
- Live video streaming (e.g., video calls, online broadcasts)
- Online multiplayer games that need instant position updates
- Voice over IP (VoIP) phone calls
- Real-time sensor data in IoT devices, such as remote drones or weather stations
Good things about it
- Very low latency - messages are sent almost instantly.
- Minimal overhead - uses less bandwidth because there’s no extra “hand-shaking.”
- Simple to implement in software.
- Works well for one-to-many broadcasting (multicast).
Not-so-good things
- No guarantee that packets arrive, arrive in order, or aren’t duplicated.
- No built-in error correction, so corrupted data may be received.
- Not suitable for tasks that require reliable delivery, like file transfers or web page loading.
- May be blocked or throttled by some network firewalls because of its connectionless nature.