At which level of the OSI model does the TCP protocol operate?

The TCP protocol (Transmission Control Protocol) operates at the transport layer of the OSI model, which is the fourth layer. The transport layer is responsible for data transfer between network nodes, ensuring reliability, flow control, and error checking.

TCP provides connection establishment, guaranteed data delivery, and the order of data reception, which distinguishes it from the UDP protocol, also operating at the transport layer but without delivery guarantees.