Difference between Unicast, Broadcast and Multicast in Computer Network Last Updated : 28 Dec, 2024 Comments Improve Suggest changes Like Article Like Report The cast term here signifies some data(stream of packets) is being transmitted to the recipient(s) from the client(s) side over the communication channel that helps them to communicate. Let's see some of the "cast" concepts that are prevailing in the computer networks field. What is Unicast?This type of information transfer is useful when there is a participation of a single sender and a single recipient. So, in short, you can term it a one-to-one transmission. For example, if a device having IP address 10.1.2.0 in a network wants to send the traffic stream(data packets) to the device with IP address 20.12.4.2 in the other network, then unicast comes into the picture. This is the most common form of data transfer over networks. What is Broadcast?Broadcasting transfer (one-to-all) techniques can be classified into two types:Limited Broadcasting: Suppose you have to send a stream of packets to all the devices over the network that your reside, this broadcasting comes in handy. For this to achieve, it will append 255.255.255.255 (all the 32 bits of IP address set to 1) called Limited Broadcast Address in the destination address of the datagram (packet) header which is reserved for information transfer to all the recipients from a single client (sender) over the network. Direct Broadcasting: This is useful when a device in one network wants to transfer packet stream to all the devices over the other network. This is achieved by translating all the Host ID part bits of the destination address to 1, referred to as Direct Broadcast Address in the datagram header for information transfer.This mode is mainly utilized by television networks for video and audio distribution. One important protocol of this class in Computer Networks is Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) which is used for resolving an IP address into a physical address which is necessary for underlying communication. What is Multicast?In multicasting, one/more senders and one/more recipients participate in data transfer traffic. In this method traffic recline between the boundaries of unicast (one-to-one) and broadcast (one-to-all). Multicast lets servers direct single copies of data streams that are then simulated and routed to hosts that request it. IP multicast requires the support of some other protocols like IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol), Multicast routing for its work. Also in Classful IP addressing Class D is reserved for multicast groups. Questions CornerPracticing the following questions will help you test your knowledge. It is highly recommended that you practice them. Direct Broadcast AddressDirect Broadcast AddressDirect Broadcast AddressFeatureUnicastBroadcastMulticastDefinition A communication where a message is sent from one sender to one receiver.A communication where a message is sent from one sender to all receivers.A communication where a message is sent from one sender to a group of receiversTransmission Data is sent to a single recipientData is sent to all recipients in a networkData is sent to a group of recipientsAddressing Uses a unique destination addressUses a special broadcast addressUses a special multicast addressDelivery Guaranteed deliveryNot all devices may be interested in the dataNot all devices may be interested in the dataNetwork TrafficGenerates the least amount of network trafficGenerates the most amount of network trafficGenerates moderate network trafficSecurity More secure because data is sent to a specific recipientLess secure because data is sent to all devices in the networkModerately secure because data is sent to a specific group of devicesExamples Email, file transfer DHCP requests, ARP requestsVideo streaming, online gamingDestinationSingle receiverAll receiversGroup of receiversBandwidth usageModerate High Moderate LatencyLowHigh Moderate ConclusionThe three principal “cast” methods- Unicast, Broadcast, and Multicast are defining in the field of computer networks. These all are useful for different factors and can be used for one-to-one, one-to-many or many-to-many transmissions. Knowing such types of protocols, the network administrators and developers can manage the load of networks and efficiently secure the data in the right manner. Whether it is to send an email (Unicast), to request for DHCP (Broadcast) or be sending a video stream to several users (Multicast), these methods are very important in the current society’s networks. 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