Networking
Browse all articles, tutorials, and guides about Networking
About Networking
Understand networking concepts essential for modern infrastructures. Explore protocols, routing, security, and techniques for building reliable connections.
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Ping Response: Request Timed Out vs Destination Host Unreachable
Understand the difference between ping timeout and destination unreachable errors, what they mean for network troubleshooting, and how to diagnose connectivity issues.
How to Free Up a TCP/IP Port on Linux, macOS, and Windows
Learn how to identify processes using a port and free it up by stopping the service, killing the process, or changing configuration across different operating systems.
How to Get a List of All Valid IP Addresses in a Local Network?
Discover active devices on your local network using tools like nmap, arp-scan, and native OS commands. Learn network scanning techniques for inventory management, security audits, and troubleshooting.
Can Two Different Sockets Share a TCP Port?
Understand how TCP port sharing works with SO_REUSEADDR and SO_REUSEPORT, when multiple sockets can bind to the same port, and the limitations you need to know.
Why SCTP Is Not Widely Used Despite Its Technical Advantages
Explore why Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) remains niche despite offering features that improve on both TCP and UDP, including NAT issues, lack of OS support, and ecosystem inertia.
How to Connect to Network Shares with Username and Password
Learn how to mount SMB/CIFS network shares with credentials on Linux, macOS, and Windows, including persistent mounts and secure credential storage.
Network Tools That Simulate Slow Network Connection
Test how your applications handle slow, lossy, or high-latency networks using simulation tools. Learn to use tc, comcast, clumsy, and Network Link Conditioner to throttle bandwidth and add delay for realistic testing.
What is the Difference Between Active and Passive FTP?
Active and passive FTP differ in how the data connection is established. Learn how each mode works, when to use them, and how they interact with firewalls and NAT.
How to Find an Available Port on Linux, macOS, and Windows
Learn multiple methods to find open ports on your system, from command-line tools like netstat and lsof to programmatic approaches in Python and Node.js.
How Do SO_REUSEADDR and SO_REUSEPORT Differ?
Understand the difference between SO_REUSEADDR and SO_REUSEPORT socket options, when to use each one, and how they solve different problems in network programming.
Close vs Shutdown Socket
Understanding the difference between close() and shutdown() for sockets is crucial for proper connection handling. Learn when to use each, how shutdown enables half-closed connections, and how close releases file descriptors.
UDP vs TCP: How Much Faster Is UDP Really?
Understanding the performance differences between UDP and TCP protocols, when speed matters, and why UDP isn't always the faster choice in real-world applications.
Capturing Mobile Phone Traffic on Wireshark
Learn how to capture and analyze network traffic from your mobile phone using Wireshark. Set up a proxy or WiFi hotspot to inspect HTTP/HTTPS requests, debug mobile apps, and understand what data your phone is sending.
When is it Appropriate to Use UDP Instead of TCP?
UDP trades reliability for speed and simplicity. Learn when to choose UDP over TCP for real-time applications, gaming, streaming, and scenarios where low latency matters more than guaranteed delivery.
How to Simulate a Slow Internet Connection for Testing
Learn how to throttle network speed on Linux, macOS, and Windows using tc, Network Link Conditioner, and other tools to test application performance under poor network conditions.
Who is Listening on a Given TCP Port on Mac OS X?
Need to find out which process is using a specific port on your Mac? Here's how to check which application is listening on a TCP port using built-in macOS tools.
How to Get Your Local IP Address
Learn multiple methods to find your local IP address using command line tools, programming languages, and system utilities across different operating systems.
How to Find Which Process Is Listening on a Port in Windows
Need to know which application is using a specific TCP or UDP port on Windows? Here's how to check using netstat, tasklist, PowerShell, and Resource Monitor.
How to Artificially Create a Connection Timeout Error
Learn practical methods to simulate connection timeouts for testing error handling, resilience patterns, and timeout configurations in your applications.
What Is the Difference Between a Port and a Socket?
Ports and sockets are often mentioned together in networking, but they serve different roles. This guide breaks down what they are and how they work together.