networks/
The internet underneath: DNS, TCP/IP, TLS, latency and CDNs.
4 results
networks/traceroute-how-a-countdown-number-reveals-every-stop-between-you-and-a.md
Traceroute: how a countdown number reveals every stop between you and a server
Your data crosses a dozen machines on its way to a server, and you never see one of them. Yet a tool called traceroute lists every stop in…
networks/tcp-how-a-network-that-drops-data-still-delivers-every-byte-in-order.md
TCP: how a network that drops data still delivers every byte in order
The internet underneath your apps drops data and makes no promise to deliver it. TCP adds the promise anyway: it numbers every piece, the…
networks/packets-why-the-internet-cuts-your-message-into-numbered-pieces.md
Packets: why the internet cuts your message into numbered pieces
When you send a message online, it never travels as one block. The internet cuts it into small packets, each with a label saying where it…
networks/ip-addresses-and-ports-the-street-address-and-the-apartment-number.md
IP addresses and ports: the street address and the apartment number
Every message on a network needs two things to arrive: an IP address to find the right computer, and a port to find the right program on…