TCP stands for “Transmission Control Protocol” and describes a central communication protocol in the IT world, which is part of the TCP/IP protocol stack. It forms the basic communication model of the Internet. TCP provides a reliable, connection-oriented transmission of data over IP networks between two endpoints.
This connection setup ensures that data is transmitted in the correct order and without loss. If a packet is not received correctly, TCP requests it again. TCP thus monitors the data flow between sender and receiver to ensure that the sender does not send more data than the receiver can process. This prevents overloading and contributes to efficient data transmission. In the event of network congestion, TCP adjusts the transmission speed to avoid bottlenecks and improve the overall performance of the network. TCP works by dividing data into segments and numbering them. This enables reliable transmission.
Together with the Internet Protocol (IP), TCP thus forms the basis for data exchange on the Internet. It is a key element in ensuring the integrity and reliability of data transmission in networked systems.