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A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding UDP, When You Should Use It and it's performance benefits with examples written in NodeJS.
I am a seasoned Software Engineer with over 8 years of diverse experience, primarily focusing on Backend Software Engineering and Complex systems.
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The Internet is a huge and ever-changing space. At any given time, it has several different streams of traffic moving through it, although they rarely all head in the same direction. As a result, depending on the type of information being transferred, various protocols are needed to help with data transfer in various directions. One such protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP) which operates differently from its counterpart, Transmission Control Protocol. Let's examine UDP's specifics, how it differs from TCP, and when it should be used to enhance network performance.
User datagram protocol (UDP), sometimes referred to as Universal datagram protocol, is an Internet protocol for data transmission without providing error checking or a guarantee of delivery. If the data is lost, there is no retransmission offered. Although it may not seem like the best way to handle data transfer, this approach has some benefits, especially when efficiency and speed are top objectives. UDP is in Layer 4, or transport, of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model.
TCP is typically used for larger data transfers that need verification that the recipient is ready to receive them. Before data is exchanged, this validation is made through a "handshake" or another procedure that confirms the well-being of both the sender and the recipient. Because of this, TCP is slower. TCP makes sure that both sides are prepared to accept the data and transfer it completely.
A UDP service can be written in any programming language. But in this section, we'll be working with NodeJS and Typescript. Working with Datagram sockets is made possible by the NodeJS dgram module. It can be used to transmit messages between computers or servers.
import { createSocket, RemoteInfo } from "dgram"
// Creates a dgram.Socket object
const udpserver = createSocket("udp4")
// Registers a listener function to be called when a message is received.
udpserver.on("message", (message: Buffer, remote: RemoteInfo) => {
console.log(`server got: ${message} from ${remote.address}:${remote.port}`)
})
// Binds the socket to a port and starts listening for datagrams on the socket
udpserver.bind(8273, "localhost")
Closing the connection
...
// Later, when you're ready to close the connection
udpserver.close();
import { createSocket, RemoteInfo } from "dgram"
// Creates a dgram.Socket object
const udpserver = createSocket("udp4")
const data = "Message from UDP client";
// Creates a buffer from the string data
const message = Buffer.from(data);
// Sends the message to the server
udpclient.send(message, 8273, "localhost", (err) => {
if (err) {
console.log(err)
}
console.log("message sent")
udpclient.close(); // close socket
})
As was already noted, UDP works well for brief data transfers that don't need to be confirmed before being delivered. In situations where efficiency and speed are high objectives, UDP is ideal. UDP sends the data without any verification to ensure that it is transferred quickly. Because data loss is a possibility with UDP, it is not recommended for massive data transfers where accuracy and integrity are more crucial. UDP is the best protocol to use for transferring data that can be completed in a single transmission.
Ideally, I would consider UDP for the following
Now that we've discussed when and why you might utilise UDP, let's look at some ways you might use UDP to improve the speed of your network.
While there are many advantages to using UDP, it is important to understand its limitations as well.
Now that you’ve read this article, you should have a better understanding of what UDP is and how it differs from TCP. We’ve covered when and why you would use UDP, as well as tips to optimize your network performance with UDP. We’ve also discussed the limitations of UDP, so now you can make an informed decision on which protocol to use.