Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.07.30
What are the key features of UDP?
UDP has no session establishment, does not resend lost segments, reconstructs data only in the order received, and does not inform the sender about receiver resource availability.
UDP Features:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| No connection | Does not establish a session |
| Unreliable | Lost segments are NOT resent |
| No ordering | Data reconstructed in order received |
| No flow control | Sender not informed about receiver status |
UDP Characteristics:
- Data is reconstructed in the order it is received
- Any segments that are lost are NOT resent
- There is no session establishment
- The sender is not informed about resource availability
Why use UDP?
- Less overhead (smaller header)
- Reduces possible delays
- Good for applications that handle their own reliability
- Ideal for real-time applications where old data is useless
Go deeper:
RFC 768 — User Datagram Protocol — Postel's original three-page spec; UDP's simplicity is the whole point.- User Datagram Protocol — Wikipedia overview of its connectionless, best-effort behaviour.