A socket API is an application programming interface, provided by the operating system (OS), that allows application programs to initiate, control, and use network sockets programmatically for communication. Internet socket APIs are usually based on the Berkeley sockets standard. In the Berkeley sockets standard, sockets are a form of file descriptor, adhering to the Unix philosophy that everything is a file. Thus, we can read, write, open, and close sockets in the same way as we do files. In inter-process communications, each end will have its own socket, but these may use different socket-programming APIs. However, they are abstracted by the network protocol.
A socket address is a combination of an Internet Protocol (IP) address and a port number. Internet sockets deliver and receive data packets to and from the appropriate application process or thread. On a computer with an IP address, every network-related program or utility will have its own unique socket or set...