Common Packet Types

This document provides an overview of 20 common packet types, including their utilization, what technology utilizes them, what data they hold, what layer they operate at, and what year they were created.

Packet Type	Utilization	Technology	Data	Layer	Year Created
ARP	Address Resolution Protocol	Ethernet, Wi-Fi	Maps a network address (such as an IP address) to a physical address (such as a MAC address)	Layer 2	1982
DNS	Domain Name System	Internet	Resolves domain names to IP addresses	Layer 7	1983
ICMP	Internet Control Message Protocol	Internet	Reports errors and operational information about network conditions	Layer 3	1981
IGMP	Internet Group Management Protocol	Multicast networks	Used to manage multicast group membership	Layer 3	1989
IPSec	Internet Protocol Security	Internet	Provides secure communication between hosts by encrypting and authenticating IP packets	Layer 3	1995
DHCP	Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol	Ethernet, Wi-Fi	Dynamically assigns IP addresses and other network configuration parameters to network devices	Layer 7	1993
BGP	Border Gateway Protocol	Internet	Used to exchange routing information between different networks	Layer 4	1989
RIP	Routing Information Protocol	Local area networks	Used to distribute routing information within a single autonomous system	Layer 3	1988
OSPF	Open Shortest Path First	Internet	Used to find the best path for data to travel in a network with multiple routers	Layer 3	1989
SSL/TLS	Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security	Internet	Provides secure communication over the internet by encrypting and authenticating data sent between hosts	Layer 5	1995
SMTP	Simple Mail Transfer Protocol	Internet	Used to send email messages between servers	Layer 7	1982
POP3	Post Office Protocol version 3	Internet	Used to retrieve email from a mail server	Layer 7	1984
IMAP	Internet Message Access Protocol	Internet	Used to retrieve email from a mail server and keep it synchronized across multiple devices	Layer 7	1986
HTTP	Hypertext Transfer Protocol	Internet	Used to transfer data between servers and clients on the World Wide Web	Layer 7	1991
HTTPS	Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure	Internet	Used to transfer data securely between servers and clients on the World Wide Web	Layer 7	1994
FTP	File Transfer Protocol	Internet	Used to transfer files between servers and clients on the Internet	Layer 7	1971
TFTP	Trivial File Transfer Protocol	Internet	A simplified version of FTP that is often used for booting diskless workstations and routers	Layer 7	1981
SIP	Session Initiation Protocol	Internet	Used for establishing, maintaining, and terminating multimedia sessions including voice and video calls	Layer 5	1999
SNMP	Simple Network Management Protocol	Internet	Used to manage and monitor network devices	Layer 7	1988
DHCPv6	Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol version 6	Ethernet, Wi-Fi	Dynamically assigns IPv6 addresses and other network configuration parameters to network devices	Layer 7	2003