Network Comparisons

Compare the two versions of the Internet Protocol. Address space, header format, security, auto-configuration, and migration strategies.

Understand the difference between internet-routable public IPs and local network private IPs (RFC 1918). NAT, security, and use cases.

Compare fixed and automatically assigned IP addresses. DHCP, use cases for servers vs clients, cost, and security implications.

Compare Network Address Translation types. One-to-one static NAT vs many-to-one port-based NAT (overloading) and their use cases.

Compare two ways to express network boundaries. Dotted-decimal masks vs slash notation, classful vs classless addressing history.

Compare three IP communication models. One-to-one, one-to-many, and one-to-all delivery methods, their addresses, and applications.

Compare the two main transport protocols. Reliability vs speed, connection-oriented vs connectionless, and when to use each.

Compare unencrypted and encrypted web protocols. TLS encryption, certificate requirements, SEO impact, and performance considerations.

Compare the latest HTTP versions. TCP vs QUIC transport, multiplexing, head-of-line blocking, and real-world performance differences.

Compare email retrieval protocols. Server-side vs client-side storage, multi-device sync, offline access, and storage considerations.

Compare interior and exterior gateway routing protocols. Link-state vs path-vector, convergence, scalability, and deployment scope.

Compare modern and established VPN protocols. Speed, codebase size, cryptography, configurability, and platform support.

Compare full-tunnel VPNs with application-level proxies. Encryption, anonymity, speed, use cases, and security differences.

Compare commercial VPNs with the Tor anonymity network. Speed, anonymity level, trust model, and threat model considerations.

Compare the enterprise VPN standard with the modern alternative. Complexity, performance, NAT traversal, and deployment scenarios.

Compare two approaches to encrypted DNS. Port usage, censorship resistance, network visibility, and browser/OS support.

Compare the two most popular public DNS resolvers. Privacy policies, speed, DNSSEC support, and filtering options.

Understand the two roles in DNS resolution. How authoritative servers hold records and recursive resolvers query on your behalf.

Compare fiber optic and cable (DOCSIS) internet connections. Speed, latency, reliability, availability, and future-proofing.

Compare fixed wireless 5G with fiber optic connections. Speed potential, latency, reliability, coverage, and deployment costs.

Compare the deprecated and current encryption standards. Version history, security vulnerabilities, and why TLS replaced SSL.

Compare two approaches to secure file transfer. SSH-based vs TLS-based, port usage, firewall compatibility, and authentication methods.

Compare the secure and legacy remote access protocols. Encryption, key authentication, and why Telnet should never be used on the …

Compare two essential network diagnostic tools. Simple reachability test vs full path analysis. When to use each for troubleshooting.