A protocol is a collection of rules for formatting and processing data in networking terms. Both devices must use the same protocol in order to interact. Routing is handled by the Internet Protocol (IP), which is a network layer protocol. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is a protocol for sending data packets across networks.
The HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a layer 7 protocol that transmits data between devices on the Internet. User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is a rapid data transfer protocol that is utilized in applications such as video streaming and gaming.