Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.07.14
What are the three characteristics of IP, and what does each mean?
Connectionless (no connection set up first), best effort (delivery not guaranteed), and media independent (runs over any medium) — all chosen to keep IP overhead low.
IP is designed with low overhead and has three characteristics:
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Connectionless | No connection established before sending; like mailing a letter without notifying recipient |
| Best Effort | No guarantee of delivery; packets may be lost, duplicated, or arrive out of order |
| Media Independent | IP operates regardless of the medium (copper, fiber, wireless) |
Connectionless details:
- No control information needed (no synchronization, acknowledgments)
- Destination receives packet with no pre-notification
- If connection-oriented traffic is needed, TCP handles it at Layer 4
Best Effort details:
- IP has no mechanism to resend lost data
- IP does not expect acknowledgments
- IP doesn't know if destination is operational
Context: These characteristics reduce overhead and make IP efficient, but reliability must be provided by upper layer protocols like TCP.
Go deeper:
Wikipedia — Internet Protocol — connectionless, best-effort delivery and the end-to-end principle.- RFC 791 — Internet Protocol — Postel's original spec; the "best effort / no reliability" design intent in the source.