Claviro

Advanced Networking

TCP/UDP + Application Protocols

TCP/UDP + Application Protocols

Deep comparison of TCP vs UDP and protocol behavior of HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and SMTP.

Advanced Level

Master transport behavior and key application protocol interactions in secure systems.

Click the numbered markers on each diagram to explore the concept step by step.

Why This Matters

Choosing wrong transport/protocol harms user experience and reliability.

Confusion Busters

Common confusion: TCP always better

Fix: Reliable but slower; not ideal for real-time media.

Common confusion: HTTPS is separate app

Fix: It is HTTP over TLS with encryption and identity validation.

TCP vs UDP

  • ▸TCP: reliable, ordered, connection-oriented.
  • ▸UDP: lightweight, low-latency, best-effort delivery.

TCP Handshake vs UDP

TCP (Reliable)

SYN →
← SYN-ACK
ACK →

UDP (Fast)

Data → (no handshake)

No SYN, No ACK

HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SMTP

  • ▸HTTPS adds TLS security over HTTP.
  • ▸FTP/SMTP behavior is critical in legacy and email infrastructure.

Application Protocols & Ports

HTTP

:80

HTTPS

:443

FTP

:21

SMTP

:587

All ride on TCP (or TLS) in the transport layer