What is the Difference Between TCP and SCTP Protocols?

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) are both connection-oriented protocols that provide reliable data transmission over computer networks. However, they have some key differences:

1. Message-oriented vs. byte-oriented: SCTP is message-oriented, while TCP is byte-oriented. This means that SCTP provides message boundaries, whereas TCP requires the application to add its own record marking to maintain message boundaries.
2. Multistreaming: SCTP supports multistreaming, which allows it to transmit multiple streams of data between two endpoints at the same time. TCP does not support multistreaming.
3. Partial Data Transfer: SCTP supports partial data transfer, while TCP does not.
4. Selective ACKs: In SCTP, there are selective ACKs, while in TCP, selective ACKs are optional.
5. Multihoming: SCTP supports multihoming, which provides some degree of fault tolerance by allowing an endpoint to be connected to multiple IP addresses. TCP does not support multihoming.
6. Data Transfer Reliability: SCTP offers more reliable data transfer compared to TCP.
7. Unordered Data Delivery: SCTP allows for unordered data delivery, while TCP does not.

In summary, while both TCP and SCTP are connection-oriented protocols that provide reliable data transmission, SCTP offers additional features such as multistreaming, multihoming, and message boundaries, making it more suitable for certain applications like telecommunications and voice and video over IP.

Comparative Table: TCP vs SCTP Protocols

Here is a table comparing the differences between TCP and SCTP protocols:

TCP is a connection-oriented protocol that provides reliable data transmission, ensuring the error-free delivery of data packets. SCTP, on the other hand, is a connection-oriented protocol that provides reliable, full-duplex communication between two endpoints over a network. It was designed to address specific needs not met by TCP and UDP.