I’ve been spending a lot of time learning about Networked Systems lately, and it has completely changed how I look at the internet. I used to think of the web as just a "cloud," but now I realize it is actually a massive, carefully built machine made of network rules and hardware.
One of the coolest things I learned is that networks are built in layers. This is called the OSI Model. Because of these layers, a person can build a website without needing to know exactly how a router in another country moves electricity. Each part has its own job, and they all talk to each other perfectly.
A big part of setting up networked systems is choosing a Network Topology, it is the way of how the computers are physically connected.
- Bus topology everyone shares one long cable.
- Star topology is the most common one today where every device connects to a central hub.
- Ring topology where data travels in a circle.
- Mesh topology where every computer connects to almost every other computer for extra reliability.
It’s amazing to think that every time we send a simple text, thousands of tiny "handshakes" and decisions are happening in a split second across these different maps to make it work.