Frame

A frame is a link-layer protocol data unit that carries network-layer data with addressing and control information across a network link.

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Ethernet frame: A link-layer frame format used by Ethernet networks. It is the best-known frame format, with defined fields for addressing, payload, and error detection.
Data link layer: The network layer responsible for communication between directly connected devices. Frames are the data units handled by this layer.
Ethernet packet: An informal name sometimes used for an Ethernet frame, though packet more precisely denotes a network-layer unit. The overlapping terminology can obscure the distinction between frame and packet.
IEEE 802.11 frame: A frame format used by Wi-Fi networks under the IEEE 802.11 standard. Its control and address fields support wireless access, acknowledgments, and distribution between access points.
Media access control address: A link-layer address that identifies a network interface on a local network. Frame headers use these addresses to identify local senders and recipients.
Network packet: A network-layer data unit carrying information between hosts across interconnected networks. A frame commonly encapsulates a network packet as its payload.
Datagram: A self-contained network-layer data unit routed independently toward its destination. A datagram is carried inside a frame, rather than being the link-layer unit itself.
Frame Relay: A wide-area networking technology that transports variable-length frames over virtual circuits. It applies frame-based switching across provider networks.
EtherType: A field value that identifies the protocol carried in an Ethernet frame. It tells the receiving interface how to interpret the frame’s payload.
Encapsulation (networking): The addition of protocol-specific headers or trailers around data as it moves through network layers. Frame creation adds link-layer control information around network-layer data.