What is streaming?

What is streaming?

Streaming is a method of data transmission used when consuming media on the Internet. Instead of downloading an entire file before playing it, streaming delivers content continuously so it can be consumed in real time.

How does streaming work?

When streaming, the media file is sent to the client in small, sequential packets. The client begins playing the content as soon as enough data has been received to start playback, while the rest continues downloading in the background. This is made possible by buffering.

Streaming vs. downloading

With downloading, the entire file must be transferred before it can be used. With streaming, content begins playing almost immediately. Streaming requires a continuous Internet connection, while downloaded files can be accessed offline.