Which protocol is considered the primary infrastructure that creates the Internet?

The primary infrastructure that creates the Internet is based on the TCP/IP protocol suite. TCP/IP, which stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, is the foundational set of communication protocols used for interconnecting network devices on the Internet. This suite has two core components: TCP, which is responsible for ensuring the reliable transmission of data packets, and IP, which handles the addressing and routing of packets to their intended destinations.

TCP/IP enables different types of networks to connect and communicate with each other, effectively allowing disparate systems to work together seamlessly on a global scale. It provides the necessary framework for data exchange and is essential for the functioning of the Internet as we know it today.

While DNS (Domain Name System) plays a crucial role in translating human-readable domain names into IP addresses, it operates atop the TCP/IP protocol suite rather than being the underlying structure itself. Similarly, NAT (Network Address Translation) and HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) serve specific functions—NAT helps in IP address conservation and security within a local network, while HTML is the standard markup language for creating web pages—but neither constitutes the foundational protocol for Internet infrastructure.