Datagram socket

In computer operating systems, a datagram socket is a type of interprocess communications socket or network socket which provides a connectionless point for sending or receiving data packets. Each packet sent or received on a datagram socket is individually addressed and routed. Order and reliability are not guaranteed with datagram sockets, so multiple packets sent from one machine or process to another may arrive in any order or might not arrive at all.

The sending of UDP broadcasts on a network are always enabled on a datagram socket. In order to receive broadcast packets, a datagram socket should be bound to the wildcard address. Broadcast packets may also be received when a datagram socket is bound to a more specific address.