Throughput refers to the actual amount of data that is successfully transmitted over a communication channel in a given period of time. It is a measure of the effective data transfer rate, taking into account various factors such as network congestion, signal interference, protocol overhead, and other potential impediments.
Bandwidth refers to the data-carrying capacity of a network or transmission medium. Throughput, on the other hand, measures the amount of data actually transmitted through the channel. While bandwidth is theoretical, throughput reflects real-world performance.
Imagine a water tap: Bandwidth is like the tap’s maximum flow rate, while throughput is the actual amount of water flowing out.
In networking, throughput determines how quickly data moves across devices, hard drives, RAM, and network connections. Remember that high throughput indicates efficiency and effective data transfer, making it a crucial metric in various domains.
.svg){kind=small}