Clear DefinitionsUDP
1 min read
Pronunciation
[yoo-dee-pee]
Analogy
UDP is like broadcasting a radio message—you transmit data without ensuring who receives it or in what order.
Definition
An abbreviation for User Datagram Protocol, a lightweight, connectionless transport protocol used for low‑latency communication.
Key Points Intro
Key traits of UDP include:
Key Points
Stateless: No session setup or teardown.
Unordered delivery: Packets may arrive out of sequence.
No congestion control: Applications manage flow control.
Lightweight header: 8 bytes, minimal overhead.
Example
Technical Deep Dive
The 8‑byte UDP header contains source port, destination port, length, and checksum. Without windowing or retransmission, applications implement reliability if required. UDP is often encapsulated in secure tunnels (DTLS) for encryption.
Security Warning
Open UDP ports can be exploited for reflection DDoS attacks; close unused ports and employ ingress filtering.
Caveat
Not suitable for applications requiring guaranteed delivery or strict ordering without extra protocol layers.
UDP - Related Articles
No related articles for this term.