The 8 Position 8 Contact (8P8C) modular plugs and sockets are communications connectors. Under the same naming scheme, an 8P6C connector has eight positions, with six positions containing conductors, and a 6P6C connector has six positions, all containing conductors. 8P8C connectors are typically used to terminate twisted pair cable.
These connectors are often called RJ45 plugs and sockets. This is technically incorrect because the RJ45 standard specifies the mechanical interface but a different wiring scheme than T568A/B, which is often used for Ethernet and telephones.
8P8C consists of two paired components: the male plug and the female socket. Each has eight equally-spaced conductors. On the plug, these conductors are flat contacts positioned parallel with the connector body. Inside the socket, the conductors are suspended diagonally toward the insertion interface. When an 8P8C plug is mated with an 8P8C socket, the conductors meet and create an electrical connection. Spring tension in the socket’s conductors ensure a good interface with the plug and allow for slight travel during insertion and removal. The 8P8C connector is probably best known for its use in Ethernet. Since about 2000, it is nearly universal as the type of connector used on a cable that carries a single Ethernet network, and has replaced many older connector types. Older connectors have also been phased out as modern cables no longer have the high current and voltage requirements for which the bulkier connectors were designed.