Question:

________ is a lightweight Data Transport Protocol that works on top of IP.

Show Hint

Think of the transport protocols this way:
  • TCP = Heavyweight, reliable (used for web browsing, email, file transfers).
  • UDP = Lightweight, fast (used for real-time video streaming, online gaming, DNS lookup).
Updated On: Jun 18, 2026
  • TCP
  • IP
  • UDP
  • FTP
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation



Step 1: Analyzing the Internet Protocol Suite:

The Transport Layer of the TCP/IP model is primarily governed by two major protocols that sit on top of the Network Layer (IP): Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

Step 2: Comparing TCP and UDP Overheads:

Let's analyze the characteristics of both transport protocols:
  • TCP (Transmission Control Protocol): A connection-oriented, reliable transport protocol. It requires a three-way handshake to establish a connection, tracks packets, performs error correction, and guarantees delivery. This introduces a large header overhead ($20\text{--}60$ bytes) and latency.
  • UDP (User Datagram Protocol): A connectionless, unreliable transport protocol. It sends packets directly to the destination without establishing a connection or waiting for acknowledgments. It features an extremely small header size (only $8$ bytes) and minimal processing overhead.


Step 3: Conclusion:

Due to its simple, connectionless nature and negligible transmission overhead, UDP is classified as the standard lightweight data transport protocol on top of IP, making option (C) correct.
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