Which protocol is connectionless and has lower overhead, enabling faster operation than TCP?

The User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is a connectionless protocol that operates with lower overhead compared to the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which is connection-oriented. UDP allows for faster data transmission since it does not require the establishment of a connection before sending data packets. This means that there is no need for handshakes or acknowledgments, leading to minimal latency and allowing for real-time applications like video streaming, online gaming, and voice-over-IP (VoIP) where speed is critical.

In contrast, TCP involves a more complex process of establishing a connection for reliable communication, which adds overhead in terms of both time and resource usage. This makes TCP less suitable for applications where speed is more important than reliability.

Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) refers to the addressing protocol for routing packets across networks and does not determine whether the transmission is connectionless or connection-oriented, and the Link/Network Interface Layer pertains to hardware-level protocols for transmitting data over physical media, which further separates it from the discussion of connection-oriented versus connectionless communication protocols.

This context illustrates why UDP is identified as the protocol with connectionless characteristics and lower overhead that facilitate faster operations than TCP.