The presentation layer is the sixth layer in the OSI model and is responsible for transforming messages into a format that computers on the network can understand. It also encrypts and decrypts information, improves network performance through compression, and is not related to screen design. Some tasks can be implemented in the application layer, and a practical application is HTTPS.
The structure of the computer network is made up of seven distinct levels. These layers have been well defined by the Open Standards Interconnection (OSI) model. The presentation layer represents layer six within the OSI model. It is the network layer that is responsible for transforming messages into a format that computers on the network can understand.
Computer networks are responsible for connecting computers and hardware through telecommunication devices. This web of connectivity requires a translation service capable of transforming messages into a format that any type of device can understand. The presentation layer translates messages into multiple formats to support multiple devices. This translation service allows a laptop to communicate seamlessly with a smartphone over a single computer network.
The presentation layer is also responsible for encrypting and decrypting information from computing devices. This layer must send and receive messages from multiple specifications and route them through the network. Computer encryption usually depends on your organization’s internal specifications. The security process is managed within this layer of the OSI network stack.
Network performance is often impacted by large data messages that are transmitted across the network. The presentation layer can improve performance by using special compression processes. This requires algorithms that can be used to reduce the size of messages sent over a network, which will increase throughput and performance. The presentation layer of the network model is responsible for all compression and decompression algorithms and processes.
Many people confuse the presentation layer with the application screen implementation. This is because the term presentation is typically synonymous with screen design in most information technology discussions. Within the network architecture, the presentation layer is basically connected to the message format presentation and is not related to the screen design
The technical implementation of specific tasks in the presentation layer can be implemented in the application layer of the OSI model. This is because many commercial products have bundled layer six and seven network activities into a single implementation. Also, many of the tasks performed at the presentation layer are unnecessary for most messages transmitted over the network.
A good example of this layer in a practical application is Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS). HTTPS is an encrypted protocol generally used on the Internet. While HTTPS is considered an application layer interface, it interacts directly with this layer for encryption algorithms. This is because the presentation layer is responsible for decrypting encrypted network messages.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
