Tech Explained
Short, plain-English answers to common technology questions, each with a diagram. Written for beginners; sources listed on every page.
- What Is a VPN and What Does It Actually Do?What a VPN does, what it hides, what it cannot hide, and when it is worth using.
- What Is DNS and How Does It Work?How DNS turns a name like example.com into an IP address, step by step, and why caching makes it fast.
- What Is an IP Address? IPv4 vs IPv6 ExplainedWhat an IP address is, IPv4 versus IPv6, public versus private addresses, and how devices get one.
- How Does Peer-to-Peer (P2P) File Sharing Work?How peer-to-peer networks let computers share files directly, with BitTorrent as an example, plus legal uses and risks.
- Peer-to-Peer vs Client-Server: What Is the Difference?Client-server versus peer-to-peer: who provides, who asks, the trade-offs, and where each one is used.
- What Is a Database? Tables, Queries, SQL vs NoSQLWhat a database is, how tables and queries work, SQL versus NoSQL, and how it differs from a spreadsheet.
- What Is Cloud Computing? IaaS, PaaS and SaaSWhat the cloud really is, how IaaS, PaaS and SaaS differ, and what public and private clouds mean.
- What Is an API? A Simple ExplanationWhat an API is, the restaurant waiter analogy, and what a real request and response look like.
- What Is HTTPS and TLS? The Padlock ExplainedHow HTTPS and TLS protect a connection, what certificates are, and what the padlock really means.
- What Is a Firewall and What Does It Block?What firewalls do, network versus host firewalls, and the risks a firewall cannot stop.
- What Is Encryption? Keys and End-to-End ExplainedHow encryption scrambles data, symmetric versus asymmetric keys, and what end-to-end encryption does.
- What Is Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)?How two-factor authentication works, how SMS, app codes and security keys compare, and why any second step beats none.
- What Are Passkeys and How Do They Work?What passkeys are, how they differ from passwords, why scam sites cannot capture them, and what happens if you lose a device.
- What Is Phishing and How Do You Avoid It?How to spot phishing emails and texts, the habits that protect you, and what to do if you clicked.
- Malware and Ransomware ExplainedThe main kinds of malware, how ransomware locks files, how infections spread, and the habits and backups that protect you.
- What Is a Proxy Server? Forward vs ReverseWhat a proxy server is, how forward and reverse proxies differ, and how a proxy differs from a VPN.
- How Does Wi-Fi Work? Bands and Security ExplainedHow Wi-Fi turns radio waves into internet access, what the 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz bands change, and how WPA3 protects you.
- Bandwidth vs Latency: Why Fast Internet Can Feel SlowBandwidth is capacity, latency is delay. Learn what Mbps, ping and jitter mean and why a fast plan can still lag.
- Router vs Modem: What Is the Difference?The modem connects your home to your provider; the router shares that link with your devices. See how combo units fit.
- What Is 5G and How Is It Different From 4G?5G is the fifth generation of mobile networks. See how its bands trade range for speed and what to expect.
- What Is a Blockchain and How Does It Work?A blockchain is a shared record kept in linked blocks. See how hashes and consensus work, and where it is used.
- What Is a Large Language Model (LLM)?What a large language model is, how chatbots write text one token at a time, and where they fall short.
- Tokens and Context Windows ExplainedTokens are the chunks of text AI chatbots read, and the context window is how many they can hold at once.
- What Is an AI Hallucination?Why AI chatbots sometimes make things up in a confident voice, and how to check and reduce it.
- What Are Browser Cookies and How Do They Work?What cookies do, how first-party and third-party cookies differ, and how to delete or block them.
- What Is Tor and the Dark Web?How Tor's three-relay onion routing works, what the dark web really is, legitimate uses, and the risks.
- What Is a CDN and Why Do Websites Use One?What a content delivery network is, how it caches copies near you, and why it makes sites faster.
- What Happens When You Type a URL in a Browser?The journey from typing a web address to seeing a page: DNS, connection, TLS, HTTP and rendering.
- What Is a DDoS Attack and How Do Sites Defend?What a DDoS attack is, how botnets flood a site, and the main defences sites and owners use.
- RAM vs Storage, and SSD vs HDD ExplainedRAM is the fast desk, storage is the filing cabinet. How SSDs and HDDs differ and which to pick.