4 ms·

UDP is a protocol, not an API

• mlhpdx 8mo ago
  True. But it’s also true that trying to shoehorn every use case into TCP streams is counter productive. A stream API can layer over UDP as well (reading in order of arrival with packet level framing), but such a stream would a bit weird and incompatible with many stream consumers (e.g. [de]compression). A UDP API is simpler and more naturally event (packet) oriented. The concepts don’t mix well. Still, it would be nice if they browser supported a UDP API instead of the weird and heavy DTLS and QUIC immitations.
  • drysart 8mo ago
    The browser does have a UDP data stream available for applications to send arbitrary bytes over UDP; it's part of WebRTC.
    • mlhpdx 8mo ago
      While Web RTC is built on UDP, it does not allow sending arbitrary UDP. It's DTLS, perhaps encapsulating SCTP, and DCEP.
  • kaoD 8mo ago
    TCP or UDP are orthogonal to this, so the original comment feels like a non sequitur. These streams are not network streams and could be a file, chunks of procedural audio, or whatever.
    • mlhpdx 8mo ago
      I agree, the stream concept should be (and is) very general and ideally cover all these cases - any “bytes producing” source. I was trying to be open minded about that and conceive a stream API over a UDP socket. It’d work IMHO, but be a little odd compared to an event-like API.