What is SOCKET?

A socket is a endpoint for sending or receiving data across a computer network. It is a combination of an IP address and a port number that uniquely identifies a specific process running on a specific device. Sockets provide a common interface for network communication and are used by many network protocols, such as TCP and UDP, to establish connections and transfer data between devices.

A socket is created by a program running on a device, and it is bound to a specific IP address and port number. The program can then use the socket to send and receive data to and from other devices on the network. When data is sent to the socket, it is packaged into a packet and sent to the destination device. When data is received by the socket, it is unpacked from the packet and made available to the program.

A socket can be thought of as a virtual connection between two devices, with one device acting as a server and the other device acting as a client. The server creates a socket and binds it to a specific IP address and port number, and then waits for incoming connections. The client creates a socket and connects to the server's socket using the server's IP address and port number. Once the connection is established, the two devices can send and receive data to and from each other.

In summary, a socket is a endpoint for sending or receiving data across a computer network, it's a combination of an IP address and a port number that uniquely identifies a specific process running on a specific device, it provides a common interface for network communication, and it is used by many network protocols to establish connections and transfer data between devices. Sockets are used in many types of applications, including web servers, email servers, and online games.