Internet Protocol

The Internet Protocol (IP) is the most important communications protocol in the Internet protocol suite for relaying data across network boundaries. It establishes the Internet. In the past, IP did not provide the connectivity; It only specified how packets should be created. The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) allowed this functionality. Since one could not perform its task without the other, they were called TCP/IP to show how they depend on each other.^[1]

Think of IP as something like the postal system. It allows you to address a package and drop it into the system, but there is no actual direct link between you and the recipient. Instead, there is a "web" of links interconnecting with each other. This is where IP and TCP come in. IP tells packets what their destination is and how to get there; TCP ensures a reliable connection, checking packets for errors, requesting a "re-transmission" if it detects one.^[2]

1. ↑ "What is the Internet Protocol?".
2. ↑ LinkedIn. "The Internet Protocol (IP) Explained". Lifewire. Retrieved 2021-05-18.