User Datagram Protocol

So kiddo, sometimes when we want to send messages from one computer to another, we use something called a protocol. A protocol is like a set of rules that both computers agree to follow so they can talk to each other.

One of these protocols is called User Datagram Protocol, or UDP for short. It's a really fast way to send messages because it doesn't check to make sure the message gets to the other computer.

Imagine you're playing catch with your friend, but instead of waiting for them to catch the ball every time you throw it, you just keep throwing the ball really fast. Sometimes your friend might miss the ball, and you don't know if they caught it or not, but you keep throwing anyway. That's kind of like how UDP works, it just keeps sending messages really fast without checking if they're received or not.

It's great for things like video chatting or online gaming, where you need to send messages really quickly and it's okay if one gets lost every now and then. But for things like sending important documents, you might want to use a different protocol that makes sure the message gets to the other computer safely. Does that make sense?