Computer data travels in a continuous stream of bits, identifying their origin and destination. The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) ensures orderly delivery, while the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is an alternative. Bit streams can become files, and eight bits make up a byte.
Millions of tiny pieces of computer data, known as bits, travel across vast systems of computer networks every day. The system works much like the modern post office, which has to constantly send and receive letters from all over the world. Like those letters, computer bits arrive in a continuous, orderly stream known as a bit stream. The bits identify where they are coming from, often a computer, and where they are traveling to, often another computer.
All information sent to and from a computer has turned into a series of 1s and 0s that represent data. When the computer sends a message, the bits travel in a specific order down a wire to their destination. Typically, the bit stream begins with information about where it is going and how to process the information once it arrives. An email, for example, contains information about the sender, the recipient, and the message itself. When the user sends it, it is broken up into bits of data which travel through the bit stream to the recipient’s computer.
The most common use for the bit stream is with the Transmission Control Protocol, or TCP. This set of guidelines tells computers how to send and receive messages from each other. The World Wide Web and email services, among others, rely on TCP guidelines to send information in an orderly manner. Sending via bit stream ensures that the pieces arrive in the correct order and that the message is not damaged during delivery, which could make it unreadable.
Once the bit stream reaches the recipient’s computer, the computer can choose to save the data. Once the data has been saved, it is known as a file. The reader can open the saved file at any time to review the message.
Another similar example of bit stream is byte stream. A bit is a single 1 or 0 in computer code, also known as a binary digit. Eight bits make up one byte, and the byte stream transmits these eight-bit packets from computer to computer. Packets are decoded upon arrival so that the computer can interpret them.
Not everything transmits through the bit stream. This system is ideal for transmissions that need to arrive reliably and in an orderly manner, such as an email. When the message doesn’t need to arrive this way, it could use a protocol other than TCP. The User Datagram Protocol, or UDP, is one example of the many different transfer protocols available for sending data.
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