Connectionless protocol

Connectionless protocol

In telecommunications, connectionless describes communication between two network end points in which a message can be sent from one end point to another without prior arrangement. The device at one end of the communication transmits data addressed to the other, without first ensuring that the recipient is available and ready to receive the data. Some protocols allow for error correction by requested retransmission. Internet Protocol (IP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) are connectionless protocols.

Connectionless protocols are also described as stateless because the endpoints have no protocol-defined way to remember where they are in a "conversation" of message exchanges.

List of connectionless protocols

See also