ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Interactive Connectivity Establishment

Interactive connectivity establishment, or ICE for short, is a way to help computers connect to each other so they can talk to each other over the internet.

When two computers want to talk to each other, they need to be able to find each other and connect to each other. ICE helps them do that by using a special process that involves trying different ways to connect until they find one that works.

Think of it like playing a game of hide and seek. Imagine that you are trying to find your friend who is hiding somewhere in the park. You might look in different places, like behind trees or under benches, until you find your friend. ICE works the same way. It tries different ways to connect the two computers until it finds a way that works.

To do this, ICE uses something called "candidates" that are like different hiding places in the park. These candidates can be different things, like IP addresses or network ports. The computers exchange these candidates and try to connect to each other using them.

If one candidate doesn't work, they try another one until they find one that allows them to connect. It's kind of like trying different hiding places until you find your friend.

Once they have found a way to connect, the two computers can start talking to each other. They might be able to share files or have a video chat, for example.

Overall, ICE is a way to help computers connect to each other over the internet. It uses a special process and candidates to try different ways to connect until it finds one that works.