Stream Oriented Protocols
Stream oriented protocols are communication protocols that treat data as a continuous stream of bytes or messages, rather than discrete packets. They provide reliable, ordered delivery of data by establishing a persistent connection between sender and receiver, often using mechanisms like flow control and error correction. Examples include TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) in networking and byte streams in file I/O operations.
Developers should learn stream oriented protocols when building applications requiring reliable data transmission, such as web servers, database connections, or real-time communication systems. They are essential for scenarios where data integrity and order matter, like file transfers or streaming media, as they handle retransmission and sequencing automatically, simplifying application logic compared to datagram protocols.