Small network notebook

A few useful distinctions when thinking about how information travels.

Latency and throughput

Latency measures how long a trip takes. Throughput measures how much data arrives over time. A connection can have plenty of capacity while still feeling slow during short, interactive exchanges.

Names and addresses

DNS connects names to records such as IP addresses. Cached answers improve response time, but changes can take time to appear while older answers remain valid.

Encryption and endpoints

TLS protects a connection between its endpoints. Checking the certificate and the hostname is part of establishing which endpoint the connection actually reaches.