What does the OSI model's presentation layer do?

The presentation layer of the OSI model is responsible for the formatting and encryption of data before it is transmitted to the application layer. This layer acts as a mediator between the application layer and the lower layers of the OSI model, ensuring that the data being sent is in a format that can be understood by the receiving application.

When data is generated by an application, it may come in various formats that are not necessarily compatible with other applications. The presentation layer converts this data into a standardized format, which may include character encoding (like converting from ASCII to EBCDIC) or data compression to reduce the size of the transmitted data. Additionally, the presentation layer can implement encryption, enhancing security by transforming the data into a format that is unreadable without the proper decryption key.

These functionalities ensure that data is correctly formatted for transmission and received accurately on the other end, which is crucial for effective communication between different systems and applications in a network.