TCP Connections
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) connections are a fundamental networking concept that establishes reliable, ordered, and error-checked communication channels between devices over an IP network. They involve a three-way handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK) to set up a connection, data transfer with flow control and congestion management, and a four-way handshake to terminate the connection. This ensures data integrity and delivery, making it essential for applications like web browsing, email, and file transfers.
Developers should learn TCP connections when building networked applications that require reliable data transmission, such as web servers, APIs, real-time communication systems, or any software that depends on stable internet communication. Understanding TCP helps in debugging network issues, optimizing performance (e.g., reducing latency or handling packet loss), and implementing secure protocols like TLS/SSL on top of TCP for encrypted connections.