Common Internet Protocols

What is a protocol?

A protocol on the Internet represents a set of rules to follow that allow exchange of data between two computers and make sure everything goes well. Two computers to communicate, must meet the same protocol. Depending on the type of interaction that one wants to do, it will create a suitable protocol.

List of common Internet protocols

The main protocols are:

• HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol): allows you to share Web pages between a client and a server.
• FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to transfer files to a server.
• DNS (Domain Name System) allows to establish the link between a domain name and IP address (Internet Protocol).
• SSH (Secure Shell) allows you to connect to a remote computer securely.

Each protocol is more or less complex to understand and analyze.

Here is a diagram showing the main steps of TCP:

To summarize

• A protocol to create a contact between two machines to perform a specific action.
• It can be compared to a protocol in real life, the goal is that the exchange goes well.
• The most widely used protocol is HTTP, which allows you to view websites.