What transport protocol does NTP use?

NTP, or Network Time Protocol, uses the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) as its transport protocol. This choice is significant because UDP is a connectionless protocol that allows for low-latency communication, which is essential for time-sensitive data transmission, like that used in NTP.

The nature of NTP involves sending time requests between clients and servers to synchronize clocks across networks. Since timing precision is crucial, the protocol is designed to minimize overhead and ensure quick exchanges. UDP's lightweight characteristics fit this requirement well, as it avoids the need for establishing a connection or guaranteeing delivery, which aligns with the NTP's design goal of quick and efficient time synchronization.

In contrast, other transport protocols like TCP and SCTP introduce additional layers of control, such as connection establishment and reliability features, which are unnecessary for the purpose of simply synchronizing time. Additionally, HTTP is an application layer protocol focused on transferring hypertext and does not apply to NTP's purpose of synchronizing network time. Thus, the use of UDP in NTP supports its function effectively, making it the optimal choice for this protocol.