A TCP vs UDP Visualization
This simulation is designed for the best experience on a laptop or desktop computer.
If you are on a mobile device, some features may not work as expected. Please switch to a larger screen to fully experience the animation.
📞 Think: Phone Call — you talk only after both sides agree to connect.
Before the "phone call" (TCP) can start, your computer needs to find the server's "phone number" (IP Address).
👉 Now your system knows the exact address of the server it needs to contact.
Step-by-Step (The 3-Way Handshake):
SYN packet (synchronize).SYN-ACK packet (synchronize-acknowledge).ACK packet (acknowledge).✅ This 3-step process is called the 3-Way Handshake.
Data Transfer:
Now you send an HTTP request (“Give me google.com’s homepage”). The server sends back the HTML page. Every packet sent has an ACK confirming it was received. If a packet is lost, TCP retransmits it. When the job is done, the connection is closed gracefully.
| Action | Real Example | TCP Concept |
|---|---|---|
| “Hello, can you hear me?” | You start a call | SYN |
| “Yes, I can hear you!” | Other person replies | SYN-ACK |
| “Okay, let’s talk” | You confirm | ACK |
| Talk continues clearly | Data exchange | Reliable transmission |
📬 Think: Sending a Postcard — you just drop it in the mail, no guarantee it arrives.
When you stream a live cricket match 🎥:
This simulation demonstrates two states based on your selected bandwidth:
Step-by-Step Flow:
| Action | Real Example | UDP Concept |
|---|---|---|
| You send a letter to 10 friends | You don’t wait for replies | Connectionless |
| If one letter is lost | You don’t resend it | Unreliable |
| Messages go quickly | Fast communication | Low latency |
| Feature | TCP (Web Page) | UDP (Video/Game) |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Connection-oriented | Connectionless |
| Example | Opening google.com | Watching YouTube Live |
| Packet Loss | Retransmitted | Ignored |
| Reliability | High | Low |
| Speed | Slower | Faster |
| Use Case | When accuracy is important | When speed is important |
Both TCP and UDP operate at Layer 4 — The Transport Layer of the OSI model.
This layer is the "Traffic Controller" of the network. It's responsible for end-to-end communication, breaking data into segments, and deciding how that data travels.
| Protocol | OSI Layer | Function |
|---|---|---|
| TCP | Layer 4 – Transport | Reliable delivery, acknowledgment, error checking, retransmission. |
| UDP | Layer 4 – Transport | Fast, connectionless, no acknowledgment, no retransmission. |
TCP ensures the website data (HTML, images) arrives reliably.IP routes your request to YouTube's server.UDP sends the video packets fast to keep it "live".IP routes the video data from the server to you.