How Does the Application Layer of the OSI Model Work?

The Application Layer is the seventh layer in the 7 layer Open System Interconnection (OSI) model and essentially deals with network processes to applications.

The Application Layer is the closest OSI layer to the end user; this means that the Application Layer and the end user both interact directly with the software application. The Application Layer interacts with the software applications which implement a communicating component.

The Application Layer's functions typically include determining resource availability, identifying communication partners and synchronizing communication. Examples of Application Layer implementations include Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and Telnet.