Apache Basics
Apache HTTP Server configuration: virtual hosts, .htaccess overrides, mod_rewrite rules, access control, and essential directives for web server management.
BGP Basics
Border Gateway Protocol: autonomous systems, BGP attributes and path selection, eBGP vs iBGP, peering configurations, and common BGP troubleshooting commands.
CDN Basics
Content Delivery Networks: edge caching strategies, cache invalidation and purging, origin shield, CDN security features, and common CDN providers.
curl & wget
curl flags for API testing, file downloads, authentication, headers, and debugging. Side-by-side comparison with wget for downloading tasks.
DHCP Basics
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol: DORA process, lease lifecycle, DHCP options, static vs dynamic assignment, and DHCP relay configuration.
DNS Fundamentals
DNS resolution lifecycle, record types (A/AAAA/CNAME/MX/TXT), TTL behavior, and essential dig/nslookup diagnostic commands.
Firewalls
iptables and nftables basics, firewall chains and rules, cloud security groups, WAF (Web Application Firewall) concepts, and defense-in-depth strategies.
HTTP & HTTPS Protocols
HTTP methods, status codes, headers, caching, HTTP/2 multiplexing, HTTP/3 QUIC, and the HTTPS security layer essentials.
IPv6 Basics
IPv6 addressing fundamentals: address types and scopes, address notation shortcuts, transition mechanisms, and practical IPv6 configuration for modern networks.
Load Balancing
Load balancing algorithms (round robin, least connections, IP hash), Layer 4 vs Layer 7, health checks, and session persistence strategies.
MQTT Basics
MQTT protocol for IoT: publish/subscribe model, Quality of Service levels, broker setup, retained messages, Last Will and Testament, and common IoT patterns.
NAT Basics
Network Address Translation: SNAT, DNAT, PAT/overloading, port forwarding, carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT), and NAT traversal challenges.
Network Automation
Network automation essentials: Ansible for network devices, Netmiko for SSH-based automation, NAPALM for multi-vendor abstraction, and Infrastructure as Code for .
Network Security Basics
Network security fundamentals — firewalls, IDS/IPS, zero trust architecture, NAC, DDoS mitigation, and security zones explained.
Network Troubleshooting
Practical network diagnostic toolkit: ping, traceroute, netstat/ss, tcpdump packet capture, nmap scanning, and systematic troubleshooting methodology.
Nginx Basics
Nginx configuration structure, server blocks (virtual hosts), reverse proxy setup, location block matching, load balancing, and caching configuration.
OSI Model
OSI 7-layer model explained — protocols at each layer, data encapsulation, and how the model maps to real-world TCP/IP networking.
REST API Design Patterns
RESTful API design principles: HTTP methods, resource naming conventions, status code usage, authentication patterns, versioning strategies, and pagination.
Software-Defined Networking
SDN architecture, control/data plane separation, OpenFlow protocol, network overlays, and modern SDN controllers compared.
SSH Basics
SSH key management, ~/.ssh/config setup, port forwarding, reverse tunneling, SSH agent, and hardening best practices for secure remote access.
SSL/TLS Basics
SSL/TLS handshake, cipher suites, certificate chains, mutual TLS, and diagnostic tools for securing network communications.
Subnetting
CIDR notation, subnet mask calculations, determining network/broadcast addresses, VLSM, and practical subnetting shortcuts for network design.
TCP/IP Basics
Core TCP/IP concepts: OSI model layers, TCP vs UDP comparison, common ports, and IP addressing fundamentals every developer should know.
VPN Basics
Virtual Private Networks: IPsec vs WireGuard vs OpenVPN comparison, split tunneling, site-to-site vs client VPN, and common VPN deployment patterns.
Wireshark Basics
Wireshark packet analysis: capture and display filters, interface selection, following streams, coloring rules, and common protocol analysis workflows.