A socket is a software object that allows data to be sent and received between remote hosts (via a network) or between local processes, such as Inter-Process Communication (IPC).

Sockets were invented at Berkeley as part of the BSD Unix project. They are based precisely on the management model of input and output of Unix files. In fact, the operations of opening, reading, writing, and closing a socket occur in the same way as the management of Unix files, but with the difference that should be considered are the useful parameters for communication, such as addresses, port numbers, and protocols.

The success and spread of socket technology have gone hand in hand with the development of the internet. In fact, the combination of sockets with the internet has made communication between machines that are of any type, and/or are scattered throughout the world, incredibly easy (at least when compared with other systems).