What is a key characteristic of UDP?

A key characteristic of UDP, or User Datagram Protocol, is that it is connectionless. This means that UDP does not establish a connection before sending data and does not maintain a connection during communication. Each data packet, known as a datagram, is sent independently, and the protocol does not ensure that packets arrive in order or that they arrive at all.

This characteristic makes UDP faster than connection-oriented protocols like TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), which establish a connection and guarantee delivery of packets. The lack of a connection setup also means that UDP has less overhead, making it suitable for applications where speed is more critical than reliability, such as video streaming or online gaming. The other characteristics associated with UDP – such as not guaranteeing delivery or ordering – further emphasize its connectionless nature, contrasting significantly with protocols that require a connection for communication.