TCP/IP Heading

TCP/IP

In this section, we'll look at the suite of communication protocols that is used to transfer data over the Internet. These communication protocols are most often referred to as TCP/IP , which is an abbreviation that refers to the two main protocols involved— Transmission Control Protocol ( TCP ) and Internet Protocol ( IP ).

ND004 C01 L02 12 TCP-IP

Takeaways

TCP/IP is a suite of communication protocols that is used to connect devices and transfer data over the Internet.

TCP/IP uses:

IP addresses : An IP address identifies the location of a computer on a network.
Ports : A port is a location on the recipient computer, where data is received.

While an IP address tells you where to find a particular computer, it doesn't tell you specifically where on that computer a particular connection should be made—that's what port numbers are for.

Some port numbers you should know:

Port 80 : The port number most commonly used for HTTP requests . For example, when a client makes a request to a web server, this request is usually sent through port 80.
Port 5432 : The port number used by most database systems; default port for Postgres.

TCP/IP Quiz - What is an IP Address?

SOLUTION:

A unique identifier for the location of a computer on the network

TCP/IP Quiz - What is the default port for most database interactions?

SOLUTION:

5432

TCP/IP Quiz - Why are ports used?

SOLUTION:

A computer can receive multiple types of traffic at the same time, and ports allow them to be tracked and routed appropriately.

Ports, IP Addresses

SOLUTION:

IP address, ports

Port Matching

QUIZ QUESTION: :

Match the Port to its typical use:

ANSWER CHOICES:

Port	Use
HTTP (web traffic)
Database traffic

SOLUTION:

Port	Use
HTTP (web traffic)
Database traffic

Additional Resources

In addition to port 80 and port 5432 , there are a number of other common ports you might want to get familiar with. Here's a list of 14 of the most common ports .
If you're interested in going into much greater depth on computer networking, you can check out the free Udacity Course on Computer Networking offered by Georgia Tech .