Java Cookbook

UDP Datagrams

Problem

You need to use a datagram connection (UDP) instead of a stream connection (TCP).

Solution

Use DatagramSocket and DatagramPacket.

Discussion

Datagram network traffic is a kindred spirit to the underlying packet-based Ethernet and IP (Internet protocol) layers. Unlike a stream-based connection such as TCP, datagram transports such as UDP transmit each “packet” or chunk of data as a single entity with no necessary relation to any other. A common analogy is that TCP is like talking on the telephone, while UDP is like sending postcards, or maybe FAX messages.

The differences show up most in error handling. Packets can, like postcards, go astray. When was the last time the postman rang your bell to tell you that the post office had lost one of several postcards it was supposed to deliver to you? It doesn’t happen, right? Because they don’t keep track of them. On the other hand, when you’re talking on the phone and there’s a noise burst -- like somebody yelling in the room, or even a bad connection -- you can ask the person at the other end to repeat what they just said.

With a stream-based connection like a TCP socket, the network transport layer handles errors for you: it asks the other end to retransmit. With a datagram transport such as UDP, you have to handle retransmission yourself. Kind of like numbering the postcards you send, so that you can go back and resend any that don’t arrive -- a good excuse to return to your vacation spot, perhaps.

Ian’s Basic Steps: ...