--- title: Networking description: Networking basics introduces the fundamental concepts of computer communication. Learners will understand network topologies, the OSI model, IP addressing, subnetting, and the roles of hardware components like routers, switches, and hubs. category: programming-tech subcategory: computer-networks difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced url: /subject/networking-basics --- # Networking Networking basics introduces the fundamental concepts of computer communication. Learners will understand network topologies, the OSI model, IP addressing, subnetting, and the roles of hardware components like routers, switches, and hubs. ## Available Resources 2 Books • 3 Courses • 4 Websites ## Websites ### 1. r/networking Reddit community for enterprise network engineers discussing routing, switching, BGP, firewalls, wireless, vendor equipment and career questions. Readers can see how practitioners troubleshoot real outages, compare hardware and design choices, and get answers to specific configuration problems. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.reddit.com/r/networking **Tags:** network-engineering, routing, switching, troubleshooting, enterprise-networks ### 2. Professor Messer Network+ Free video training course covering the full CompTIA Network+ N10-008 exam objectives: cabling, IP addressing, routing, switching, wireless, and troubleshooting. Watching it prepares you to sit the certification exam without paying for commercial courseware. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.professormesser.com/network-plus/n10-008/n10-008-video/n10-008-training-course/ **Tags:** comptia, network-plus, certification, routing, switching, tcp-ip ### 3. Practical Networking Free website with diagrams and explanations of networking concepts, frequently recommended on Reddit. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.practicalnetworking.net/ **Tags:** networking, tcp-ip, routing, subnetting, osi-model ### 4. Practical Networking **Author:** Ed Harmoush Free article series on how packets actually traverse a network, plus deep treatments of ARP, NAT, access control lists, VLANs, and cryptography. Each series builds sequentially toward a working mental model rather than memorised commands. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.practicalnetworking.net/series/ **Tags:** networking, tcp-ip, routing, nat, arp ## Courses ### 1. Introduction to Networks Learn networking basics with Cisco's Introduction to Networks course. Explore fundamental concepts and build a foundation for your IT career! **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.netacad.com/courses/networking/introduction-networks **Tags:** cisco, ccna, networking, routing, switching, ethernet ### 2. The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking Introductory course from Google's IT Support certificate on how computer networks work, covering the five-layer TCP/IP model, Ethernet, IP addressing and subnetting, TCP and UDP, DNS and DHCP, NAT, and troubleshooting tools. Learners can explain and diagnose everyday network connectivity problems. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.coursera.org/learn/computer-networking **Tags:** computer-networking, tcp-ip, ip-addressing, dns, dhcp, network-troubleshooting ### 3. Introduction to Computer Networking One-hour NVIDIA course on Coursera introducing why networks exist, the OSI model, the TCP/IP suite, Ethernet forwarding, and basic data center design. Completing it gives you the vocabulary needed before studying switching or routing in depth. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.coursera.org/learn/introduction-to-networking-nvidia **Tags:** courses, technology-computer-science, computer-networks ## Podcasts ### 1. The Packet **Author:** Packet Pushers Every single podcast we publish in one convenient feed. This is a LOT of content. Hours of audio each week. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** en | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://packetpushers.net/ **Tags:** networking, network-engineering, infrastructure, routing, podcast ## Books ### 1. Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach **Author:** James F. Kurose, Keith W. Ross University textbook that presents networking from the application layer downward, covering HTTP, DNS, TCP congestion control, routing algorithms, link-layer protocols, and wireless. Working through it gives you a principled model of how internet traffic actually moves. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0201477114?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, technology-computer-science, computer-networks ### 2. Computer Networks **Author:** Andrew S. Tanenbaum, David J. Wetherall Classic textbook built around the layered model, working up from physical transmission and media access through routing, transport, and application protocols. Reading it leaves you able to reason about protocol design trade-offs rather than memorize configurations. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1292024224?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, technology-computer-science, computer-networks --- *This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge* *Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).* View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/networking-basics