Unlock the Internet’s Secrets: Demystifying IP Addresses, PORTs, TCP, UDP, HTTP, WebSockets, and Datagrams — Explained as Simply as Ordering a Pizza!

Advanced users would not find a lot of helpful info here, but if you are not so experienced in internet technologies, it could help you understand the basics of network connections a bit better. Let me know if you found this article useful 🤜🤛

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IP Address

Each device in the worldwide network has its own address. It is called an IP address. We have two IP standards (IPv4 and IPv6), but we will speak only about IPv4 because they work similarly, and v4 is simpler.

IPv4 addresses have a strict format 12.34.56.78 — four numbers (each could be [0–255]), separated by a dot.

Speaking simply, the internet is similar to our cities. In a city, each building has its own address. For example, this is the map of San Jose, USA: