What is the term for the rate of data transfer measured in bits per second?

The term for the rate of data transfer measured in bits per second is bandwidth. Bandwidth refers specifically to the maximum data transfer capacity of a network, indicating how much data can be sent or received within a given time frame. It is a crucial metric when discussing network performance as it affects the speed and efficiency with which data is transmitted over the network.

While throughput and speed are often used in everyday discussions about network performance, bandwidth relates more directly to the theoretical limits of the network under ideal conditions. Throughput is the actual rate of successful data transfer achieved, which can be influenced by various factors such as network congestion, interference, and protocol overhead. Latency, on the other hand, describes the time taken for data to travel from the source to the destination, but it does not measure the volume of data transfer. Thus, bandwidth clearly defines the capacity of a network in terms of data transfer rates.