How does UDP handle the correctness of message delivery?

User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is designed to operate with minimal overhead, which is why it does not include mechanisms for guaranteeing the correctness of message delivery. This means that when messages are sent via UDP, there is no built-in guarantee that the messages will arrive at the destination, nor is there a guarantee that they will arrive in the same order they were sent.

UDP is often favored in scenarios where speed is more critical than reliability, such as in real-time applications like video streaming or online gaming. In these cases, it is more important to receive the most current data quickly rather than worrying about whether all packets are received or organized correctly. If a packet is lost, it is simply not re-transmitted, and the application layer must handle any necessary correction or recovery based on its requirements.

The absence of delivery guarantees is a key characteristic of UDP, distinguishing it from other protocols like TCP, which implements extensive error checking and correction mechanisms to ensure that all data is delivered correctly and in order. Thus, the correct understanding of how UDP handles message delivery is that it provides no guarantee of delivery or order, making it the appropriate choice for this question.