Hello dev.to community! 👋
Yesterday, I explored Bash scripting — my first step toward automation. Today, I’m diving into Networking Basics — the invisible backbone of every system in DevOps.
🔹 Why Networking matters for DevOps
Every application communicates over a network (servers, APIs, databases).
Debugging outages often starts with network checks.
CI/CD pipelines, Kubernetes clusters, and cloud deployments all rely on stable networking.
🧠 Core concepts I’m learning
🌍 DNS (Domain Name System)
Translates human-friendly names (google.com) into IP addresses (142.250.190.14).
Tools: nslookup, dig
🔌 Ports
Each service runs on a port (HTTP → 80, HTTPS → 443, SSH → 22).
Check open ports with:
netstat -tulnp
📡 Protocols (TCP vs UDP)
TCP: Reliable, connection-based (used by web, SSH).
UDP: Faster, connectionless (used by DNS, streaming).
⚖️ Load Balancing
Distributes traffic across multiple servers.
Ensures high availability and better performance.
Tools: Nginx, HAProxy, AWS ELB
🛠️ Mini use cases for DevOps
Verify connectivity: ping, traceroute
Test ports/services: telnet or nc -zv
Monitor traffic: tcpdump, iftop
Debug DNS issues: dig @8.8.8.8 example.com
⚡ Pro tip
If something isn’t working, always check network basics first:
Can you ping the server?
Is the right port open?
Is DNS resolving correctly?
🧪 Hands-on mini-lab (try this!)
Create a script netcheck.sh that:
Accepts a hostname and port as input.
Pings the host.
Checks if the given port is open.
Prints “All good ✅” or “Issue detected ❌”.
🎯 Key takeaway
Networking is the foundation of DevOps. Without understanding DNS, ports, and protocols, troubleshooting cloud systems or CI/CD pipelines becomes a guessing game.
🔜 Tomorrow (Day 6)
I’ll explore Linux Services & Systemd — managing processes like a pro.
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