Which application layer protocol commonly uses UDP for its transport and is used for simple file transfers?

Which application layer protocol commonly uses UDP for its transport and is used for simple file transfers?

• A. DNS
• B. DHCP
• C. TFTP
• D. SNMP

Answer: (C)

UDP keeps overhead very low because it’s a connectionless transport with no built-in reliability. Some applications use UDP precisely for that simplicity, handling any needed reliability in a lightweight way within the application itself. TFTP fits this approach: it exists specifically for simple, small file transfers and relies on UDP to keep the protocol tiny. It uses straightforward read or write requests, transfers data in small blocks (typically 512 bytes), and requires acknowledgments for each block, which is enough for basic transfers without the complexity of FTP or HTTP. This makes TFTP ideal for quick tasks like network bootstrapping or transferring small configuration or firmware files. The other options don’t fit the scenario because they serve different purposes: DNS handles domain name resolution, DHCP provides IP configuration to devices, and SNMP is used for network management and monitoring. They may use UDP, but they’re not designed for simple file transfers like TFTP.

UDP keeps overhead very low because it’s a connectionless transport with no built-in reliability. Some applications use UDP precisely for that simplicity, handling any needed reliability in a lightweight way within the application itself. TFTP fits this approach: it exists specifically for simple, small file transfers and relies on UDP to keep the protocol tiny. It uses straightforward read or write requests, transfers data in small blocks (typically 512 bytes), and requires acknowledgments for each block, which is enough for basic transfers without the complexity of FTP or HTTP. This makes TFTP ideal for quick tasks like network bootstrapping or transferring small configuration or firmware files.

The other options don’t fit the scenario because they serve different purposes: DNS handles domain name resolution, DHCP provides IP configuration to devices, and SNMP is used for network management and monitoring. They may use UDP, but they’re not designed for simple file transfers like TFTP.