IPAddress

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 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 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…

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 the Network Layer (OSI Layer 3)?

The Network layer is OSI Layer 3 — it is responsible for logical addressing (IP addresses) and routing, deciding the best path to move a packet from a source h…

Private vs Public IP Addresses

A public IP address is globally unique and directly routable across the internet, while a private IP address comes from reserved ranges (like 10.0.0.0/8 or 192…

MAC Address vs IP Address

A MAC address is a fixed, hardware-burned Layer 2 identifier used to deliver frames within a local network segment, while an IP address is a logical, reassigna…

What is a Subnet Mask?

A subnet mask is a 32-bit value paired with an IPv4 address that tells a device which bits of the address identify the network and which bits identify the spec…

What is NAT and Port Translation (NAPT)?

NAT (Network Address Translation) is the process a router or gateway uses to rewrite the source or destination IP address of a packet as it crosses network bou…