VNC

VNC (Virtual Network Computing) is a graphical desktop-sharing system that lets one computer control another over a network. It works on the Remote Frame Buffer (RFB) protocol, standardized as RFC 6143 — the client sends keyboard and mouse input, and the server streams back updated regions of the screen. Because it operates at the framebuffer level, it is platform-independent: a viewer on one operating system can drive a desktop running on another.

• Remote Frame Buffer (RFB) protocol - The wire protocol underneath VNC, defining how input events go up and pixel updates come down.
• Client/server model - A VNC server exposes a desktop and one or more VNC viewers connect to observe or control it.
• Platform independence - Operating at the pixel level means it isn’t tied to any single OS, windowing system, or application stack.
• Networked control - Runs over TCP (commonly port 5900+), which is why access is typically tunneled or wrapped in a VPN or SSH for security.

In the API and automation world, VNC shows up wherever remote-access, support-tooling, and virtual-desktop providers need programmatic control of sessions — provisioning connections, brokering credentials, and managing session lifecycles through their APIs. It’s a useful reminder that not every integration is a JSON payload over HTTP; some of the oldest and most durable machine-to-machine protocols move pixels and input events, and they still need the same governance around authentication, encryption, and access control that any modern API demands.