Internet Protocols and Networking Terms

Internet

The global network of interconnected computers that use standardized protocols to communicate.

World Wide Web

A system of linked pages, programs, and files that uses the Internet to function.

IP Address

A unique number assigned to a device on the Internet used for identification and location.

IPv4

Internet Protocol version 4; uses 32-bit addresses allowing ~4 billion unique devices.

IPv6

Internet Protocol version 6; uses 128-bit addresses allowing a vastly larger number of devices.

Bandwidth

The maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over a network in a given amount of time.

Latency

The time it takes for data to travel from the source to the destination.

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)

A protocol that ensures reliable, ordered, and error-checked delivery of data.

UDP (User Datagram Protocol)

A protocol that sends data quickly without error-checking; used for streaming and real-time communication.

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)

The protocol used for transmitting web pages over the Internet.

HTTPS (HTTP Secure)

A secure version of HTTP that encrypts data between browser and server.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

A protocol used for transferring files between computers on a network.

Protocol

A set of rules that define how data is formatted and transmitted across a network.

Network

A group of interconnected devices that can communicate with each other.

Scalability

The ability of a system or network to handle increased loads without performance loss.

Redundancy

Using multiple pathways or components so the system can still function if one part fails.

Parallel Processing

Carrying out multiple computations at once to increase speed and performance.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The primary component of a computer that performs most of the processing.

Data

Information processed or stored by a computer.