Controller Area Network (CAN) is a serial communication protocol that is most commonly used in automotive applications. It allows microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other in real-time. CAN uses a multi-master broadcast communication style where nodes can transmit messages at any time and all nodes receive all messages. It uses priority-based arbitration to determine which message is transmitted when two nodes transmit simultaneously. CAN provides efficient, reliable, and economical communication between sensors, actuators and electronic control units in automotive and other embedded systems applications.