What exactly is a network protocol?
A protocol is a set of instructions for formatting and processing data in networking. Computers have a common language known as network protocols.
Even if the software and hardware used by the computers in a network may be very dissimilar, the usage of protocols allows them to communicate with one another.
Similar to how two humans from different parts of the world may not speak each other’s original languages but can communicate through a common third language, standardized protocols are like a common language that computers can utilize.
Computers can interact if they both use the Internet Protocol (IP), just as the United Nations employs its six official languages to facilitate communication among its officials worldwide. However, they won’t be able to interact if one machine is using IP and the other isn’t familiar with it.
Different protocols for various types of processes are available on the Internet. The OSI model layer a protocol belongs to is frequently mentioned while discussing it.
What are the OSI model’s layers?
An abstract illustration of how the Internet functions are provided by the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. It has seven layers, each of which represents a separate class of networking operations.
These networking functions are made feasible via protocols. For instance, the Internet Protocol (IP) is in charge of data routing by identifying the origin and destination of data packets*. Network-to-network communication is made feasible via IP. IP is therefore regarded as a network layer (layer 3) protocol.
Another illustration is the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which guarantees the smooth transfer of data packets across networks. TCP is therefore regarded as a transport layer (layer 4) protocol.
All data transferred across a network is split up into little segments called packets.
What protocols are active at the network layer?
IP is a network layer protocol that handles routing, as was previously mentioned. The sole network layer protocol, though, is not this one.
IPsec: Over a virtual private network, Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) establishes encrypted, authenticated IP connections (VPN). IPsec is technically not a protocol; rather, it is a collection of protocols that comprises the Encapsulating Security Protocol (ESP), Authentication Header (AH), and Security Associations (SA).
ICMP: The Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) reports faults and gives status updates. For instance, if a router is unable to transport a packet, it will send an ICMP message back to the packet’s originator.
IGMP: The Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) establishes one-to-many network connections. Multicasting enables numerous computers to receive data packets sent to a single IP address with the assistance of IGMP.
What further Internet protocols are there?
A few of the most crucial protocols to understand are:
TCP: The transport layer protocol TCP, as previously mentioned, guarantees dependable data delivery. The two protocols are frequently referred to as TCP/IP because TCP is intended to be used alongside IP.
HTTP: The World Wide Web, which is the portion of the Internet with which most users interact, is built on the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Between devices, it is employed to transport data. Because it delivers data into a format that applications, like a browser, may use immediately and without further interpretation, HTTP is a part of the application layer (layer 7). A computer’s operating system, not applications, manages the lower layers of the OSI model.
HTTPS: The drawback of HTTP is that it is not encrypted, making it possible for any attacker to read any HTTP message that is intercepted. This is fixed by HTTPS (HTTP Secure), which encrypts HTTP transmissions.
TLS/SSL: HTTPS encrypts data using the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. Secure Sockets Layer was the previous name for TLS (SSL).
User Datagram Protocol (UDP): At the transport layer, UDP is a quicker but less dependable substitute for TCP. It is frequently utilized in applications like gaming and video streaming, where quick data delivery is crucial.
What protocols are used by routers?
The most effective network paths to other routers are found by network routers using certain protocols. User data is not transferred via these protocols. Among the crucial network routing protocols are:
BGP: Networks use the application layer protocol known as the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) to broadcast the IP addresses that they are in control of. By using this knowledge, routers can choose which networks data packets should travel through en route to their final destinations.
Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP): EIGRP measures the separation between routers. Routing tables, which are kept up-to-date by each router automatically, are broadcast to other routers in the network using EIGRP.
OSPF: The Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol determines the most effective network paths depending on a number of variables, such as distance and bandwidth.
RIP: The Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is an earlier routing protocol that measures the separations between routers. Application layer protocols, like RIP, are used.
