Throughput

Definition

Throughput is the actual rate at which information is transferred. It is the amount of data that is successfully sent and received over a communication link in a given period of time.

Why It Matters

Throughput is a measure of the real-world performance of a network. While bandwidth is the theoretical maximum, throughput is what you actually get, which can be affected by latency, network congestion, and other factors.

Contextual Example

Your internet plan might have a bandwidth of 100 Mbps, but due to network congestion, your actual throughput when downloading a large file might only be 80 Mbps.

Common Misunderstandings

• Throughput is always less than or equal to the bandwidth of the connection.
• It is a more practical measure of network performance for the end-user than bandwidth alone.