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Networking Advanced

What is SDN (Software-Defined Networking)?

An approach that separates the network control plane from the data plane, enabling centralized, programmable network management.

SDN decouples the decision-making logic (control plane) from the packet forwarding hardware (data plane). A centralized controller programs network devices via APIs, replacing manual device-by-device configuration.

Benefits include network automation, dynamic traffic engineering, easier policy management, and multi-vendor interoperability. OpenFlow is the most common SDN protocol. Cloud providers use SDN extensively for virtual networking (VPC, security groups, load balancers).

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A formatted unit of data carried over a network, containing headers with routing information and a payload with the actual data.
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A protocol that encrypts DNS queries by sending them over HTTPS, preventing eavesdropping and manipulation of DNS traffic.
HTTPS Everywhere
The practice of securing all web traffic with TLS encryption, ensuring data integrity and privacy between browsers and servers.
OSI Model
The seven-layer Open Systems Interconnection model that standardizes network communication functions from physical transmission to application protocols.
Reverse Proxy
A server that sits between clients and backend servers, forwarding client requests and returning server responses on their behalf.
Subnet
A logical division of an IP network into smaller segments to improve performance, security, and management.
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