Unicast vs Broadcast vs Multicast vs Anycast

These are 4 network communication methods you must know.

• Unicast

  Unique sender and a single receiver.

  For example, communication between two people in a party.

  Used in protocols such as HTTP, FTP, and SMTP.

• Broadcast

  Single sender and multiple receivers.

  For example, a person at a party stands up on a podium and shouts a message to everyone. However, it doesn’t mean that every receiver gets the message.

  Used in Address Resolution Protocol, DHCP, and NTP

• Multicast

  Sender to a specific group of devices in a network. This is a specialized case of broadcast routing.

  For example, a member of the group talks and listens to other members of the group within a party.

  Used in IPTV and video conference applications.

• Anycast

  Sender to a single device or a specific group of devices.

  For example, saying thank you to one host out of a group of hosts organizing a party. All other hosts also expected to receive the thank you note.

  Used in DNS querying and CDNs.