What is a socket? What types of sockets are there?

Socket is a programming interface for organizing network interaction between processes, usually via TCP/IP or other protocols. It allows applications to exchange data over the network, acting as an endpoint of communication.

Main types of sockets:

• Stream socket (TCP socket) — provides reliable, connection-oriented data transfer. Uses the TCP protocol.
• Datagram socket (UDP socket) — provides message transfer without establishing a connection, without delivery guarantees. Uses the UDP protocol.
• Raw socket — allows working with low-level protocols, for example, to implement custom network protocols or traffic analysis.
• Unix domain socket — used for inter-process communication on the same machine, operates faster than network sockets as it does not use the network stack.

Each type is suitable for different tasks: TCP — for reliable transfer, UDP — for fast transfer with possible losses, raw — for special tasks, Unix domain — for local interaction.