Packet switching breaks data into packets for efficient transmission. Each packet travels independently. It may take a different path than other packets. The receiver reassembles them. Packet switching is the foundation of the internet. It is efficient, resilient, and scalable.

Packet switching was developed by Paul Baran and Donald Davies in the 1960s. It was designed for military communication that could survive partial destruction. If one node failed, packets could route around it. ARPANET used packet switching. The internet inherited it.

Packet switching vs. circuit switching

• Packet: shared path, efficient, variable latency
• Circuit: dedicated path, wasteful, low latency
• Packet: used in the internet
• Circuit: used in traditional telephony

Packet switching is not perfect. It has variable latency. It can lose packets. It needs protocols to handle reliability. But it is far more efficient than circuit switching. It allows many users to share the same network. The internet would not exist without it.