What is a communication protocol?

A communication protocol is a set of rules and standards that dictate how data is formatted, transmitted, and received between network devices. These rules ensure that all participating devices can understand each other, allowing for orderly and reliable data exchange. For example, the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite defines how data is broken into packets, addressed, transmitted, routed, and reassembled across the internet. These protocols cover aspects from physical connections to application-level interactions. More details on network protocols can be found in Guide to Computer Network Security by Joseph Migga Kizza.