Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) is a routing protocol used to efficiently manage the distribution of multicast traffic across a network. Unlike other multicast protocols, PIM does not rely on a specific underlying unicast routing protocol, allowing it to work with various network architectures. It supports both sparse and dense multicast group scenarios, making it versatile for different applications. PIM operates in two main modes: PIM Sparse Mode (PIM-SM) and PIM Dense Mode (PIM-DM). In PIM-SM, multicast traffic is sent only when there are active receivers, while PIM-DM floods the network with multicast traffic and prunes back where there are no receivers. This flexibility helps optimize bandwidth usage and improve network efficiency.