UDP
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a connectionless transport layer protocol in the Internet Protocol suite that provides a simple, low-overhead method for sending datagrams between applications on networked devices. It does not establish a connection before sending data, does not guarantee delivery or order, and lacks built-in error correction, making it faster but less reliable than TCP. UDP is commonly used for time-sensitive applications where speed is prioritized over reliability, such as streaming media, online gaming, and DNS queries.
Developers should use UDP when building applications that require low latency and can tolerate some data loss, such as real-time video/audio streaming (e.g., VoIP, live broadcasts), online multiplayer games, or DNS lookups. It is also suitable for simple request-response protocols like DHCP or for broadcasting/multicasting data to multiple recipients, where the overhead of TCP's connection management and reliability features would be unnecessary or detrimental to performance.