What does DTLS stand for?

DTLS stands for Datagram Transport Layer Security. It is designed to provide the same security guarantees as Transport Layer Security (TLS) while being suitable for datagram protocols such as User Datagram Protocol (UDP). Unlike TCP, which is connection-oriented and reliable, UDP is connectionless and does not guarantee packet order or delivery, making it necessary to have a protocol like DTLS that can secure datagram communications effectively without requiring a connection to be established beforehand.

DTLS is particularly important in scenarios where low-latency communication is essential, such as in voice over IP (VoIP) or online gaming, where the overhead associated with establishing a session might introduce unacceptable delays. It ensures that data integrity, confidentiality, and authenticity are maintained even in a potentially unreliable transport environment, which is crucial for many real-time applications.

The other options do not accurately reflect the technology denoted by DTLS, as they refer to different concepts or are not recognized standards within the context of securing datagram communications.