Protocol stack

The protocol stack or network stack is an <a href="/facts/Implementation/IH1KXgP3">implementation</a> of a <a href="/facts/Computer_network/3w5RM99p">computer networking</a> protocol suite or protocol family. Some of these terms are used interchangeably but strictly speaking, the suite is the definition of the <a href="/facts/Communication_protocol/5uady7cB">communication protocols</a>, and the stack is the <a href="/facts/Software/RP79lVSW">software</a> implementation of them.
Individual protocols within a suite are often designed with a single purpose in mind. This <a href="/facts/Modularity_(programming)/sNoqKvRD">modularization</a> simplifies design and evaluation. Because each protocol module usually communicates with two others, they are commonly imagined as <a href="/facts/Abstraction_layer/EV8c84SY">layers</a> in a stack of protocols. The lowest protocol always deals with low-level interaction with the communications hardware. Each higher layer adds additional capabilities. User applications usually deal only with the topmost layers.

Protocol stack open-in-new

Protocol stack