Protocol (computer)

In computer science a protocol is a complete specification of the rules for communication between two or more computing devices in a computer network. What is commonly referred to as a protocol is generally a stack of specifications, each building upon the others to define all aspects of communication.

Protocols have a wide range in complexity. On one end of the spectrum, the electrical characteristics of ones and zeros within a particular digital logic family might be considered a protocol. Similarly, the sequence of modulated infrared light emitted by a television remote control is also a protocol. A more complicated example of a protocol is the set or "stack" of protocols used in computer networking reference models, such as the Internet Protocol Suite or Open Systems Interconnection Reference Model.