what is tcp ip protocol

TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol and is a suite of communication protocols used to interconnect network devices on the internet. It is a set of rules and procedures that allow machines and application programs to exchange information. TCP/IP specifies how data is exchanged over the internet by providing end-to-end communications that identify how it should be broken into packets, addressed, transmitted, routed, and received at the destination. The TCP/IP protocol suite functions as an abstraction layer between internet applications and the routing and switching fabric. TCP and IP are separate protocols that work together to ensure data is delivered to its intended destination within a network. IP obtains and defines the address of the application or device the data must be sent to, while TCP is responsible for transporting and routing data through the network architecture and ensuring it gets delivered to the destination application or device that IP has defined. TCP is a higher-level smart communications protocol that can do more things than IP. The TCP/IP model consists of several types of protocols, including TCP and IP, Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), Internet Control.