Computer Networks
Computer networks are interconnected systems of devices that communicate by exchanging data over shared communication links, using standardized protocols to address, route, and reliably deliver information. , the OSI or TCP/IP models) that separate concerns like addressing, transport, and application logic.
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Glossary Terms(2)
DBMS
A Database Management System (DBMS) is software that provides an interface for creating, storing, querying, and managing data in databases, handling concerns l…
Computer Networks
Computer networks are interconnected systems of devices that communicate by exchanging data over shared communication links, using standardized protocols to ad…
Study Notes(40)
Application Layer Protocols Overview
A survey of the protocols that let applications talk to each other over a network, and how they fit above the transport layer.
Common Network Attacks
Recognize how common network attacks like DoS, MITM, ARP spoofing, DNS spoofing, and port scanning work — and how to defend against them.
Common Networking Pitfalls
Frequent mistakes and misconceptions in networking, explained so you can recognize and avoid them.
Data Link Layer Basics
How raw bits are organized into frames for reliable node-to-node delivery on the same network segment.
DHCP
How DHCP automatically assigns IP configuration to devices joining a network through the four-step DORA process.
DNS: The Domain Name System
How DNS translates human-friendly domain names into IP addresses through a distributed hierarchy of resolvers and servers.
Error Detection and Correction
How networks detect and, in some cases, correct bit errors introduced during transmission.
Ethernet Standards
Common Ethernet naming and speeds (10BASE-T to Gigabit and beyond) and why CSMA/CD is largely obsolete on modern switched networks.
Firewalls Basics
Understand how packet-filtering, stateful, and application-layer firewalls inspect traffic differently to enforce security policy.
FTP and Email Protocols
How FTP moves files using separate control and data connections, and how SMTP, POP3, and IMAP differ for sending and retrieving email.
HTTP and HTTPS
The request/response protocol behind the web, its core methods, and how TLS secures it as HTTPS.
Hubs, Switches, and Routers
Learn how hubs, switches, and routers operate at different OSI layers and how they shape collision and broadcast domains.
Introduction to Computer Networks
Learn what a computer network is, why we build them, and the core benefits they provide.
IP Addressing and Subnetting
Master IPv4 addressing and CIDR subnetting with a fully worked, hand-verified example.
IPv4 vs IPv6
Compare the two IP versions across address size, notation, and how IPv6 changes the need for NAT.
Load Balancers Basics
Learn how Layer 4 and Layer 7 load balancers distribute traffic across servers using algorithms like round robin and least connections.
MAC Addressing and Switching
How 48-bit MAC addresses identify devices and how switches learn and use them to forward frames.
Network Address Translation (NAT)
See how NAT rewrites private IP addresses to public ones, conserving IPv4 addresses and hiding internal network structure.
Network Layer Basics
Learn how the network layer handles logical addressing, packet forwarding, and fragmentation to move data across networks.
Network Performance Concepts
Understand how bandwidth, throughput, latency, jitter, and packet loss differ and how they interact to determine real-world network experience.
Network Security Basics
Learn the core principles that keep networks safe: confidentiality, integrity, availability, and the controls that enforce them.
Network Troubleshooting Tools
Learn how ping, traceroute, netstat/ss, and nslookup/dig work under the hood to diagnose connectivity, routing, and DNS issues.
Network Types and Topologies
Compare network types by scale (PAN, LAN, MAN, WAN) and topologies by structure and tradeoffs.
Common Networking Interview Questions
The most frequently asked computer networking interview questions with concise, technically accurate answers.
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Interview Questions(224)
Difference Between TCP and UDP
TCP is a connection-oriented transport protocol that guarantees reliable, ordered, error-checked delivery through a handshake and acknowledgements, while UDP i…
What is the OSI Model?
The OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model is a conceptual framework that standardizes network communication into seven layers — Physical, Data Link, Network…
How Does DNS Work?
DNS (Domain Name System) is the internet’s phonebook: it translates human-readable domain names like example.com into the IP addresses machines use to connect,…
Difference Between HTTP and HTTPS
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) transfers web data in plain text, while HTTPS is the same protocol running over a TLS-encrypted connection — so HTTPS adds e…
What is an IP Address?
An IP address is a numeric label assigned to every device on a network so it can be uniquely identified and reached — IPv4 uses a 32-bit address written as fou…
What is Subnetting?
Subnetting is the practice of dividing a larger IP network into smaller, logically separated sub-networks (subnets) by borrowing bits from the host portion of…
What is the TCP Three-Way Handshake?
The TCP three-way handshake is the process a client and server use to establish a reliable connection before exchanging data: the client sends a SYN, the serve…
What is a MAC Address?
A MAC (Media Access Control) address is a 48-bit hardware identifier burned into a network interface card by its manufacturer, used to identify a device unique…
What is ARP (Address Resolution Protocol)?
ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) maps a known IP address to its corresponding MAC address on a local network, allowing a device to discover the physical hardw…
What is a Firewall?
A firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on a defined set of rules, sitting between a trusted int…
What is NAT (Network Address Translation)?
NAT (Network Address Translation) is a technique that maps multiple private IP addresses on an internal network to one or a few public IP addresses, allowing m…
What is DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)?
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is a network protocol that automatically assigns IP addresses and other configuration details — like subnet mask, de…
Router vs Switch: What is the Difference?
A switch connects devices within a single local network and forwards frames between them using MAC addresses, while a router connects separate networks togethe…
What is a Proxy Server?
A proxy server is an intermediary that sits between a client and the destination server, forwarding requests and responses on the client’s behalf while optiona…
What is Latency vs Bandwidth?
Latency is the time it takes a single piece of data to travel from sender to receiver, while bandwidth is the maximum volume of data that can move through a co…
What is a VPN?
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) creates an encrypted tunnel between a device and a remote server, so traffic looks like it originates from that server and cann…
TCP/IP Model vs OSI Model
The OSI model is a seven-layer conceptual reference used for teaching and troubleshooting, while the TCP/IP model is a four-layer practical model that actually…
What is a Socket?
A socket is an endpoint for network communication, uniquely identified by the combination of an IP address, a port number, and a transport protocol (TCP or UDP…
What is SSL/TLS?
SSL/TLS is a cryptographic protocol that encrypts data in transit between a client and server, verifies the server’s identity using certificates, and ensures t…
HTTP/2 vs HTTP/1.1: What Changed?
HTTP/2 replaces HTTP/1.1’s text-based, one-request-per-connection model with a binary framing layer that multiplexes many requests and responses over a single…
IPv4 vs IPv6: What Are the Differences?
IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses giving about 4.3 billion possible addresses, while IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses giving a practically unlimited pool, and IPv6 also si…
What is Packet Switching?
Packet switching is a data transmission method that breaks messages into small, independently addressed packets, routes each one across the network based on cu…
What is the HTTP Request Lifecycle?
The HTTP request lifecycle is the full sequence a browser follows to load a resource: DNS resolution, TCP (and TLS) connection setup, sending the HTTP request,…
What is a Port in Networking?
A port is a 16-bit number (0–65535) that identifies a specific process or service on a device, letting a single IP address handle many simultaneous network con…
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