Most Common Protocol Used in Networking

Have you ever thought about how each piece of web content, from text to images, audio, and videos, is transmitted to the end user? The solution is- Network Protocols.

Network protocols are necessary for the smooth working of the modern internet. Without them, it won’t be possible for servers or devices to interact with each other, as they play a crucial role in assuring the internet’s functionalities.

So what exactly is a network protocol? It is a set of standards and guidelines that control the data transmission between various source and destination devices present on the internet. It sets the guidelines for data communication, error handling, and managing connections between different devices. Thus, assuring effective and reliable communication.

Network protocols facilitate the transfer of data across the web and operate flawlessly in the background in such a way that users are unaware of its technicalities. However, networking experts need to be informed about it. 

Frequently Used Networking Protocols and Their Use

Below we’ll learn about the increasingly used networking protocols in conjunction with their usage:

1. Internet Protocol (IP) A.K.A. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

Transmission control protocol (TCP), also known as Internet Protocol (IP), is a network communication protocol that converts data/information into packets, which makes it easy to transfer the data between a server and a user.

This protocol is commonly used by businesses to deliver different web content like files, text, images, and emails because it ensures that the data packets will be sent accurately and in the right order. It is important to note that TCP/IP will form a connection between the source and destination devices prior to transferring the data.

The 3-way handshake is as follows:

• The user or web browser sends a Synchronize Sequence Number (SYN) to the destination device. 
• The destination device responds with an acknowledgment message referred to as SYN_ACK.
• The source device then gets the SYN-ACK message and creates an ACK (acknowledgment) message, which concludes the connection setup.

2. User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

UDP is a network communication protocol that’s developed to send packets from one networked device to another. Several businesses use this protocol as a substitute for transmission control protocol (TCP) because it provides increased transfer rates in the network.

Whereas, this increased data transfer rate can result in accuracy trade-offs. The user datagram protocol provides stronger support for video/audio streaming services, online games, or VoIP (video over internet protocol) calls, which can manage certain levels of data loss. 

Another major difference between UDP and TCP/IP is that UDP will not try to form a connection before transferring packets to the destination. Similarly, there’s no guarantee that the data will be delivered to the destination device.

3. File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

FTP is one of the network management protocols that’s utilized for transferring files from one networked device to another over a TCP/IP connection, in plain text. In the case of FTP, users can access a web browser or FTP client like FileZilla or FTP Voyager and transfer up to 2 GB of files at a time. 

Several businesses utilize FTP due to its capability to transfer large files or multiple files at a time in a fast and efficient way. Sadly, this ability can lead to security trade-offs since FTP transfers all the data/information in the form of unencrypted text.

As a result, several businesses choose to utilize a protected version of different FTP types known as the Files Transfer Protocol Secure Socket Layer (FTPS), which acts in a similar way but makes use of SSL encryption to encrypt the data in transmission.

Related: FTP, FTPS, and SFTP: Know What They Are And What They Are For

4. HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

HTTP is one of the most commonly used network communication protocols that allow systems present on the internet to communicate with each other. In this protocol, a source device will send a hypertext message to a destination server requesting access to the resources required for loading a web page. 

The server having the required content will then respond and allow the client-server to load all the requisite elements, like text, images, audio, and videos, showcased on the web page. 

The HTTP request/response cycle:

• The user begins by sending an HTTP request to the server asking for access to the specific web content or web page. 
• This request message is then processed by the web server.
• The server sends back a response message containing the required data or web page content.
• The client then receives the message and loads the web page content in the web browser for the end user to see. 
• The encrypted version of HTTP is called HTTPS, which makes use of SSL/TLS encryption to mask the requests and responses so that third parties won’t be able to access it. 

Learn more about the HTTPS port here.

5. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)

SMTP is a common protocol for email delivery that enables a device to deliver an email to a remote terminal over a TCP connection. Several email providers, like Microsoft Outlook Email and Yahoo Mail, make use of the SMTP protocol to send messages to remote web servers. 

In short, a business will need to create an SMTP server first, which allows employees to connect and interact using a MUZ (mail user agent) or email client like Gmail. Via this connection, they can send emails to the SMTP server and other users.