TCP/IP

aid: tcp-ip
name: TCP/IP
description: TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the foundational communication protocol suite that
  powers the internet and most computer networks. It provides reliable, ordered delivery of data between applications across
  diverse network hardware through a layered architecture of protocols. The suite encompasses protocols at multiple layers
  including TCP, IP, UDP, HTTP, and many others, defined through IETF RFCs maintained at the RFC Editor.
type: Index
accessModel:
  pricing: freemium
  onboarding: unknown
  trial: false
  try_now: false
  public: false
  label: Freemium
  confidence: medium
  source:
  - plans
  generated: '2026-07-22'
  method: derived
position: Consumer
access: 3rd-Party
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/icons/tcp-ip.png
tags:
- Networking
- Protocol
- Internet
- Standards
- IETF
- RFC
- TCP
- IP
created: '2025-01-01'
modified: '2026-05-03'
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/tcp-ip/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
specificationVersion: '0.19'
apis:
- aid: tcp-ip:sockets-api
  name: Berkeley Sockets API
  description: The de facto standard programming interface for TCP/IP networking, defined in RFC 3493. Implemented nearly
    ubiquitously in modern operating systems and programming languages, the Sockets API provides functions for creating network
    connections, sending and receiving data, and managing socket state.
  humanURL: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3493
  tags:
  - Sockets
  - POSIX
  - Network Programming
  - RFC 3493
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3493
  - type: Specification
    url: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3493
common:
- type: DomainSecurity
  url: security/tcp-ip-domain-security.yml
- type: Documentation
  name: RFC Editor
  description: Official IETF RFC Editor with all TCP/IP protocol specifications.
  url: https://www.rfc-editor.org/
- type: Documentation
  name: IETF Datatracker
  description: IETF document tracking and standards development.
  url: https://datatracker.ietf.org/
- type: Specification
  name: RFC 9293 - TCP Specification
  description: The current canonical TCP specification, consolidating four decades of updates. Obsoletes RFC 793.
  url: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9293
- type: Specification
  name: RFC 791 - Internet Protocol
  description: The foundational Internet Protocol (IP) specification.
  url: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc791
- type: Specification
  name: RFC 768 - UDP
  description: User Datagram Protocol specification.
  url: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc768
- type: Specification
  name: RFC 1180 - TCP/IP Tutorial
  description: Educational overview of the TCP/IP protocol suite.
  url: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1180
- type: Specification
  name: RFC 3493 - Sockets API
  description: Basic Socket Interface Extensions for IPv6, the standard sockets programming API.
  url: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3493
- type: Specification
  name: RFC 4614 - TCP Roadmap
  description: A roadmap for Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) specification documents.
  url: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4614
- type: Website
  name: IETF Official Site
  url: https://www.ietf.org/
features:
- name: Reliable Delivery
  description: TCP guarantees ordered, reliable delivery of data between endpoints.
- name: Connection-Oriented Communication
  description: TCP establishes a connection via three-way handshake before data transfer.
- name: Flow Control
  description: TCP window-based flow control prevents overwhelming receivers.
- name: Congestion Control
  description: TCP algorithms (Reno, CUBIC, BBR) manage network congestion.
- name: IPv4 and IPv6 Support
  description: Protocol suite supports both IPv4 (RFC 791) and IPv6 (RFC 2460) addressing.
- name: Connectionless UDP
  description: UDP provides low-latency connectionless transport where reliability is handled at application layer.
- name: Multiplexing via Ports
  description: Port numbers allow multiple services to share an IP address.
useCases:
- name: Web Applications
  description: HTTP/HTTPS runs over TCP/IP for all web browser and server communication.
- name: File Transfer
  description: FTP, SFTP, and SCP use TCP/IP for reliable file transfer.
- name: Email
  description: SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 protocols use TCP/IP for email transmission.
- name: Real-Time Communications
  description: WebRTC and VoIP use UDP over IP for low-latency media streams.
- name: Network Programming
  description: Berkeley Sockets API provides the standard interface for TCP/IP network programming.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: info@apievangelist.com