What Is Network?

Networks are like friendship bracelets: The more you have, the better! A computing network comprises two or more devices or nodes that can communicate. Physical or wireless connections can connect the devices or nodes in question. The key is that there are at least two separate components, and they are connected. Networks can be used for all sorts of things, from sharing files to keeping your home computer secure from hackers. A network lets you control your smart TV from anywhere in your house! The Internet is the largest computer network in the world. It connects millions of computers, servers and users who can share information and resources. The scale of a network can vary from a pair of devices sending data back and forth to massive data centers and the global Internet, the largest network. These networks, from the smallest to the largest, allow computers and users to share information and resources. Networks are everywhere. They're in your phone, computer, and even the air around you. So what exactly is a network? It's a group of connected people or things, like the web of computers and people, that make up the World Wide Web. Networks can be extensive, like the Internet, or minor, like the social network of friends who hang out with you in high school. Looking at the development of large-scale networks over the past few decades provides insight into network theory. For example, the U.S. military's Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) and the commercial airline reservation system Semi-Automatic Business Research Environment (SABRE) in the late 1950s were examples of computer networks. The network is used by several other countries worldwide (including Canada). As more people started using computers for work, they needed better ways to share information, which is why we have modern internet networks today!