Table of contents
1.
Introduction
2.
What is Connection-Oriented Services?
3.
What is TCP?
4.
What is Connectionless  Services?
5.
What is UDP?
6.
Difference between Connection-Oriented and Connection-less Services
7.
Frequently Asked Questions
7.1.
Which out of connectionless and connectionless provides faster service?
7.2.
Why is the Internet mainly connection-less?
7.3.
Why might an organization choose a connection-oriented service over a connectionless one?
7.4.
Is the OSI model connection-oriented or connectionless?
7.5.
Is TCP or UDP connection-oriented?
7.6.
Is HTTP connection-oriented?
8.
Conclusion
Last Updated: Nov 4, 2024

Difference between Connection-Oriented and Connectionless Services

Author Vivek Goswami
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Introduction

In networking, understanding the difference between connection-oriented and connectionless services is essential for choosing the right protocol and designing efficient systems. Both of these communication methods determine how data is sent, received, and managed over networks, impacting speed, reliability, and resource use. Connection-oriented services, such as TCP, establish a dedicated communication path, ensuring reliability and sequence, while connectionless services, like UDP, allow data to be sent without setup, focusing on speed.

Difference between Connection-Oriented and Connectionless Services

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What is Connection-Oriented Services?

Connection-oriented services include establishing and terminating connections to send data between two or more devices. Connection-oriented services are related to the telephone system. These services use handshake procedures to establish a connection between the sender and the receiver.

Connection-oriented services are network services designed and developed after the telephone system. We use connection-oriented services to establish an end-to-end connection between a sender and a receiver before sending the data on the same or different networks. In connection-oriented services, we send packets to the recipient in the same order the sender has transmitted them. It transfers data over the network using a handshake procedure that establishes a connection between the user and the sender. Therefore, it is also called a reliable network service.

Suppose the sender wants to send data to the recipient. The sender first sends the request packet to the receiver in an SYN packet. The receiver then responds to the sender's request with an (SYNACK) signal/packet, which means that the recipient receives the confirmation and initiates communication between the sender and the recipient. The sender can now send the message or data to the recipient.

Similarly, the recipient can reply or send the data in a packet to the sender. After a successful exchange or transmission of data, the sender can terminate the connection by sending a signal to the recipient. In this way,  it is a reliable network service.

What is TCP?

TCP, or Transmission Control Protocol, is a core protocol of the Internet Protocol (IP) suite that enables reliable, ordered, and error-checked delivery of data over a network. It is a connection-oriented protocol, meaning it establishes a connection between sender and receiver before transmitting data, ensuring that all packets are delivered in sequence and without errors.

What is Connectionless  Services?

In contrast, connectionless services do not require you to establish a connection and termination process to send data over the network. Connectionless services are related to the postal system. A significant advantage of connectionless services is that they do not include connection setup and disconnection. However, this comes at the cost of the disadvantage of having an unreliable system.  

Packets do not follow the same path to reach their destination as in the instance of connection-oriented systems. We can lose data in these types of services due to congestion during transmission.

A sender can send data without forming a connection link since it is a connectionless type of data service. Data that is sent by the sender will be in the form of packets that has the receiver's address. However, due to congestion in the network, these data packets may get lost during transmission. The receiver also receives the data packets in an orderly manner. 

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What is UDP?

UDP, or User Datagram Protocol, is a core communication protocol used in the Internet Protocol (IP) suite. Unlike TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), UDP is a connectionless protocol that provides a simpler and faster way to send messages across a network. It is often used for applications where speed is more critical than reliability.

Difference between Connection-Oriented and Connection-less Services

FeatureConnection-Oriented ServicesConnectionless Services
Connection EstablishmentRequires a connection to be established (e.g., TCP handshake)No connection setup is required
ReliabilityGuarantees reliable delivery, ensuring packets arrive in order without errorsDoes not guarantee delivery; packets may be lost or out of order
Flow ControlImplements flow control mechanisms to manage data transmission ratesNo flow control; can lead to data overflow
OverheadHigher overhead due to connection setup and managementLower overhead since no connection management is needed
ExamplesUsed in applications needing reliability (e.g., HTTP, FTP, SMTP)Used in applications where speed is critical (e.g., UDP for streaming, online gaming)

Frequently Asked Questions

Which out of connectionless and connectionless provides faster service?

Before sending the packet, the virtual circuit is created with the connection-oriented protocol. This adds delay and slows down the connection speed compared to connection-less protocol services.

Why is the Internet mainly connection-less?

Most of the traffic on the Internet is connectionless because this approach makes it easy to manage certain types of traffic without incurring data transfer service charges.

Why might an organization choose a connection-oriented service over a connectionless one?

Connection-oriented services are more reliable than connectionless services. We may send messages in a connection-oriented service if there is an error on the receiver’s part.

Is the OSI model connection-oriented or connectionless?

The OSI model itself is not inherently connection-oriented or connectionless; it describes layers that can implement either type of communication.

Is TCP or UDP connection-oriented?

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is connection-oriented, providing reliable data transmission, while UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is connectionless, prioritizing speed over reliability.

Is HTTP connection-oriented?

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is connection-oriented when using TCP, establishing a reliable connection for transferring web data, although HTTP/2 can use multiplexing for efficiency.

Conclusion

In this article, we have extensively discussed and developed an understanding of data communication services. As we saw, data communication services can be of two types: connection-oriented data communication services and connectionless services. We looked into the details of the two types of services and then listed the differences.

We hope this blog has helped you enhance your knowledge regarding the differences between connectionless and connection-oriented communication.

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