What does the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) do?

The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is a fundamental protocol in the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite that plays a critical role in facilitating communication between computers over a network. TCP operates at the transport layer and is designed to ensure reliable, ordered, and error-checked delivery of data between applications running on devices connected to a network.

When data is sent from one computer to another, TCP breaks it down into smaller packets, assigns sequence numbers to each packet, and ensures that they are received in the correct order. It also provides mechanisms for error detection and correction, ensuring that lost or corrupted packets are retransmitted. This reliability is essential for applications such as web browsing, file transfers, and email, where data integrity is crucial.

By establishing a connection-oriented communication channel, TCP allows for a smooth exchange of data, ensuring that both sender and receiver can communicate effectively and accurately. This functionality is what makes TCP a core protocol for networking and inter-device communication.