What is winsock?

What is winsock? In view of this problem, this article introduces the corresponding analysis and answers in detail, hoping to help more partners who want to solve this problem to find a more simple and feasible way.

Winsock is the specification of network programming under Windows, which is a widely used, open network programming interface supporting multiple protocols under Windows.

From version 1.0 in 1991 to version 2.0.8 in 1995, after continuous improvement and with the full support of Intel, Microsoft, Sun, SGI, Informix, Novell and other companies, it has become the de facto standard of Windows network programming.

Standard

Taking Socket interface which is popular in BSD UNIX of U.C. Berkeley University as an example, a set of network programming interface under microsoft Windows is defined.

It not only contains the familiar Berkeley Socket-style library functions, but also contains a set of extended library functions for Windows, so that programmers can make full use of the Windows message-driven mechanism to program. The Windows Sockets specification is intended to provide a simple set of API for application developers and to be followed by all network software vendors.

In addition, on the basis of a specific version of Windows, Windows Sockets also defines a binary interface (ABI) to ensure that applications applying Windows Sockets API can work on any network software vendor's implementation that conforms to the Windows Sockets protocol.

Therefore, this specification defines a set of library function calls and related semantics that can be used by application developers and implemented by network software vendors. Network software that complies with this set of Windows Sockets specifications is called Windows Sockets compliant, while the provider of Windows Sockets compliant implementation is called Windows Sockets provider. A network software vendor must implement the Windows Sockets specification 100% in order to be Windows Sockets compatible.

Any application that works with Windows Sockets-compliant implementations is considered to have a Windows Sockets interface.

We call this application a Windows Sockets application. The Windows Sockets specification defines and documents how to use API to connect to the Internet protocol family (IPS, usually we refer to TCP/IP), especially pointing out that all Windows Sockets implementations support flow socket interface and Datagram socket interface. The application program calls the API of Windows Sockets to communicate with each other.

Windows Sockets also uses the lower layer of network communication protocol functions and operating system calls to achieve the actual communication work.

This is the end of the answer to the question about what is winsock. I hope the above content can be of some help to you. If you still have a lot of doubts to solve, you can follow the industry information channel for more related knowledge.