Networking Beginner

What is TCP/IP?

The fundamental communication protocol suite of the internet that defines how data is packaged, addressed, transmitted, and received.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is a layered protocol stack. TCP provides reliable, ordered, error-checked data delivery. IP handles addressing and routing packets across networks.

The model has four layers: Application (HTTP, SMTP), Transport (TCP, UDP), Internet (IP), and Network Access (Ethernet, Wi-Fi). Together they enable all internet communication.

Related Terms

A modern, lightweight VPN protocol that uses state-of-the-art cryptography and minimal code for fast, secure tunneling.

MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit)

The maximum size of a data packet that can be transmitted over a network without fragmentation.

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

A technology that creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and a remote server, securing internet traffic.

Network Segmentation

The practice of dividing a network into isolated segments to improve security, performance, and management.

SDN (Software-Defined Networking)

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

The seven-layer Open Systems Interconnection model that standardizes network communication functions from physical transmission to application protocols.

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