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Networking Beginner

What is Bandwidth?

The maximum rate of data transfer across a network connection, measured in bits per second.

Bandwidth represents the capacity of a network connection — how much data can flow through per unit of time. It is measured in Mbps (megabits per second) or Gbps (gigabits per second).

Bandwidth differs from throughput (actual data transferred) and speed (which also depends on latency). Factors affecting bandwidth include hardware limits, network congestion, and ISP throttling.

Related Terms

BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)
The routing protocol that makes the internet work by exchanging routing information between autonomous systems.
ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol)
A network protocol used for diagnostic and error reporting, including ping and traceroute functionality.
Anycast
A network routing technique where the same IP address is announced from multiple locations, directing users to the nearest server.
Proxy Server
An intermediary server that forwards requests between clients and destination servers, providing caching, filtering, or anonymity.
Overlay Network
A virtual network built on top of an existing physical network, enabling features like container networking and VPNs.
TCP/IP
The fundamental communication protocol suite of the internet that defines how data is packaged, addressed, transmitted, and received.
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