User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is a connectionless protocol used to transmit data over the internet. It is an alternative to Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which provides more reliable communication but requires additional overhead in terms of transmission time and bandwidth usage. UDP has become increasingly popular due to its simplicity, speed, and low resource requirements.

UDP works by sending packets of data without requiring confirmation from the recipient that they have been received correctly or completely. This makes it ideal for applications where latency matters more than accuracy, such as streaming audio or video over the internet; however, it can also be used for other types of communications like gaming and file transfers where reliability may not be as critical.

As UDP does not require any sort of handshaking between sender and receiver prior to transmitting data, this allows for faster transmission times compared with TCP protocols which must establish a connection before beginning transmission activities. Additionally, since there are no acknowledgments required from either end when using UDP protocol less network resources are needed resulting in lower costs associated with running these services on large networks such as those found within corporate environments.

User Datagram Protocol offers many advantages including fast transfer speeds while requiring fewer resources than TCP making it an attractive option when looking at how best to send data across networks quickly yet reliably enough depending on application needs.

Its popularity continues today due largely in part because its simple structure makes implementation relatively straightforward even providing developers access control mechanisms if desired through use port numbers allowing them greater flexibility when creating solutions utilizing this powerful networking technology