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I was just teaching someone a little about SSH & VNC. I said I'd show him some things with TeamViewer. Then he asked me "Soo.. is this a VNC client?
And I wasn't sure.

What protocol does TeamViewer use? It's obviously similar to VNC & RDP and so on. However, I can't seem to find much information on it.

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TeamViewer uses its own proprietary protocol. It is not documented, though its authentication layer has been partially analyzed:

It is similar to RDP or VNC (RFB) in purpose, but includes NAT traversal, has slightly different authentication methods (the one-time PINs), supports file transfer & chat, and adapts to network conditions dynamically.

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    The NAT traversal must be possible because it is not peer-to-peer, as there is a server to establish connection, unlike RDP and VNC.
    – paradroid
    Oct 10, 2015 at 23:12
  • It's mostly peer-to-peer. Quite a few protocols (e.g. pre-MS Skype) only use central nodes purely for NAT hole punching, not for data relaying. Aug 15, 2016 at 11:58
  • Could you elaborate on the NAT traversal / hole punching part?
    – voices
    Sep 6, 2018 at 16:58

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