{"id":815,"date":"2025-12-19T09:52:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T08:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/?post_type=manual_kb&#038;p=815"},"modified":"2026-05-30T16:52:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T14:52:07","slug":"protocols-udp","status":"publish","type":"manual_kb","link":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/protocols-udp\/","title":{"rendered":"Protocols &#8211; UDP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a network protocol used for fast, connectionless data transmission between devices over the internet. It is part of the TCP\/IP protocol suite and operates at the transport layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike TCP, UDP prioritizes speed over reliability and does not establish a connection before sending data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/protocols-udp\/#How_UDP_works\" >How UDP works<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/protocols-udp\/#Key_characteristics_of_UDP\" >Key characteristics of UDP<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/protocols-udp\/#UDP_vs_TCP\" >UDP vs TCP<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/protocols-udp\/#Practical_use_cases\" >Practical use cases<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/protocols-udp\/#Why_UDP_is_used\" >Why UDP is used<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/protocols-udp\/#Practical_implications\" >Practical implications<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/protocols-udp\/#Summary\" >Summary<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_UDP_works\"><\/span>How UDP works<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"mybox-1849864989\" class=\"mybox-content mybox-entity-placement\"><div class=\"early-access-banner-inpost\">\r\n  <div class=\"banner-left-inpost\">\r\n    <div class=\"icon-box-inpost\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/square-info-icon.svg\" alt=\"Info\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"text-box-inpost\">\r\n      <span class=\"label-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Early access<\/span><\/span>\r\n      <h4><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Still need help?<\/span><\/h4>\r\n      <p><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Contact our customer service team.<\/span><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <div class=\"banner-right-inpost\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/panel.mybox.com\/helpdesk2\/v\/list\/\" class=\"banner-button-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Message us<\/span><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UDP sends data in small units called datagrams. Each datagram is transmitted independently, without confirming delivery or ordering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The communication process is simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>the sender transmits a datagram to the destination<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>the receiver processes it if it arrives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>no confirmation or retransmission is required<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This makes UDP faster but less reliable than connection-oriented protocols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_characteristics_of_UDP\"><\/span>Key characteristics of UDP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>connectionless communication<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>no delivery guarantee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>no packet ordering<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>minimal protocol overhead<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>low latency transmission<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"UDP_vs_TCP\"><\/span>UDP vs TCP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>UDP \u2260 TCP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Feature<\/th><th>UDP<\/th><th>TCP<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Connection<\/td><td>Not required<\/td><td>Required<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Reliability<\/td><td>No guarantee<\/td><td>High reliability<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Ordering<\/td><td>Not guaranteed<\/td><td>Guaranteed<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Speed<\/td><td>Faster<\/td><td>Slower<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Overhead<\/td><td>Low<\/td><td>Higher<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UDP is used when speed is more important than reliability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Practical_use_cases\"><\/span>Practical use cases<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UDP is commonly used in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>online gaming<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>video and audio streaming<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>voice over IP (VoIP) calls<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>live broadcasts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>DNS queries<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_UDP_is_used\"><\/span>Why UDP is used<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UDP is preferred in real-time applications because it reduces delay. Even if some data packets are lost, the system continues operating without waiting for retransmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, in live video or voice communication, a small loss of data is less critical than delays caused by retransmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Practical_implications\"><\/span>Practical implications<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because UDP does not guarantee delivery, applications using it must handle missing or out-of-order data on their own if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This makes UDP suitable for time-sensitive systems where performance is more important than perfect accuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary\"><\/span>Summary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UDP is a fast, connectionless transport protocol used for real-time communication. It does not guarantee delivery or order, but it provides low-latency transmission for applications where speed is critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","manualknowledgebasecat":[25],"manual_kb_tag":[1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,853,1870,1736,1871,1853,1872,1857,1873,1858,1874,1859,1875,1860,1876,1861,1877,1862,1878,1863,1879],"class_list":["post-815","manual_kb","type-manual_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","manualknowledgebasecat-hosting","manual_kb_tag-sender-port","manual_kb_tag-receiver-port","manual_kb_tag-port-number","manual_kb_tag-port-fields","manual_kb_tag-packet-length","manual_kb_tag-length-field","manual_kb_tag-user-datagram-protocol","manual_kb_tag-checksum-validation","manual_kb_tag-protocols","manual_kb_tag-checksum-field","manual_kb_tag-transport-layer","manual_kb_tag-header-and-data","manual_kb_tag-internet-protocols","manual_kb_tag-datagram","manual_kb_tag-connectionless-protocol","manual_kb_tag-packet-transmission","manual_kb_tag-connectionless-communication","manual_kb_tag-user-datagram-protocol-header","manual_kb_tag-flow-control","manual_kb_tag-transport-layer-protocols","manual_kb_tag-retransmission-mechanisms","manual_kb_tag-source-port","manual_kb_tag-duplicate-packets","manual_kb_tag-destination-port","manual_kb_tag-multicast-transmission","manual_kb_tag-port-numbers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manual_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9053,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/815\/revisions\/9053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"manualknowledgebasecat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manualknowledgebasecat?post=815"},{"taxonomy":"manual_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb_tag?post=815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}