Why Netflix use TCP instead of UDP? (2024)

FAQs

Why Netflix use TCP instead of UDP? ›

TCP is more efficient than UDP if you don't need low-latency delivery, because you can compress more data at once and waiting for retransmitted packets isn't a problem. This also ensures you get a high quality stream through the viewing experience unless there are major congestion problems.

"Netflix uses TCP because TCP is much time-sensitive and does not require port forwarding. It helps to enable the full bandwidth of the network. We can compress more data at once in TCP and also reloaded data packets do not pose a problem. It also ensures higher video quality and fewer network congestion problems.

What are TCP and UDP used for? TCP is best used for direct communication in which a reliable connection is needed, such as web browsing, email, text messaging, and file transfers. UDP is best used for live and real-time data transmission when speed is more important than reliability.

Application requirements. Reliability: TCP is connection-oriented and guarantees reliable data delivery. Therefore, TCP is preferred if your application demands error-free and ordered data transmission. Real-time communication: UDP is often favoured for real-time communication due to its low latency.

Generally, TCP is preferred for applications that need reliability, data integrity, and consistency, while UDP is preferred for applications that need speed, efficiency, and flexibility.

Which is a better protocol for streaming your videos online? User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is the superior choice for online streaming videos. UDP emphasizes speed and efficiency, making it exceptionally well-suited for real-time data transmission, including video streaming.

UDP is faster than TCP, as it does not require additional responses from the receiver. Data integrity. TCP only transmits complete sets of data packets, while UDP transmits whatever it can, even if some packets are lost along the way. Security.

TCP is used when data reliability is critical, and UDP is used when missing packets are acceptable.

The decision is made by the application implementing the data transfer ... I think, what you really want to know is, for what requirements TCP should be selected and for what requirements UDP is the better choice.

Typically, applications that transfer data files will use TCP since the protocol's latency and performance issues are not that critical. UDP benefits applications that need to receive data quickly even if accuracy suffers.

What are two advantages that TCP has over UDP? ›

The advantages of TCP over UDP are: TCP provides reliable delivery, whereas UDP does not. UDP is faster than TCP for bulk data transfers, but TCP is faster for interactive applications. TCP has better security features than UDP.

TCP is more reliable and provides error-checking to ensure that data packets are delivered in the correct order. TCP is also slightly more secure than UDP because it tracks all data packets, making it more difficult to insert malicious data. Both TCP and UDP are supported by OpenVPN.

- TCP packets are smaller and thus more efficient to use. - TCP packets are connection oriented, whereas UPD packets are connectionless. - UDP is considered to be more reliable because it performs error checking. TCP packets are connection oriented, whereas UPD packets are connectionless.

Unreliable: UDP does no longer guarantee the delivery of packets, leading to potential fact loss. No Order Guarantee: Packets may arrive out of order, necessitating additional common sense within the software layer to manage sequencing.

In conclusion, an application developer might choose to run an application over UDP rather than TCP if they prioritize fast data transfer, low latency, and low network overhead over reliability and error-checking.

TCP connections can detect lost packets using a timeout. After sending off a packet, the sender starts a timer and puts the packet in a retransmission queue. If the timer runs out and the sender has not yet received an ACK from the recipient, it sends the packet again.

UDP simply sends packets with a much lower bandwidth overhead and latency. Though some packets might be lost or received out of order, UDP is useful for live streaming and other real-time applications. Comparison between TCP and UDP protocols.

If your streaming content is recorded and made available to the viewers later, such as in the form of VOD, then TCP works well. On the other hand, UDP is typically used for live streaming and multicast video conferencing. Such applications normally require their own protocol (commonly RTP/RTCP over UDP) on top of UDP.

You can use UDP ports (53 and 123) for live streaming. However, to stream a service like Netflix, you'll need to open TCP ports (80 and 443).

Netflix uses multiple TCP connections and uses TLS, so it's not possible to limit the number of devices or streaming sessions. Videos from Netflix are variable bitrate encoded, so it's not possible to limit resolution/video quality with network policy.