Articles & Guides
Useful resources for web developers and system administrators
SEO
What Is Website Indexing: How It Works and How to Check
What website indexing is in plain terms: how crawling differs from indexing, how a page gets into the index, how to check it and what blocks it.
DNS
What Is DNS: How It Works and Why You Need It, Explained
What is DNS and how it works: the full path of a lookup, resolver roles, caching and TTL, private DNS over TLS and HTTPS, plus how to check records with dig.
Networking
How to Find a Server Port: ss, netstat, lsof and Port Scan
Find a server's port: ss -tulpn on Linux, netstat -ano on Windows, lsof on macOS for your own; a port scan for a remote host; proxy port from provider.
SSL/TLS
What Is HTTPS? How It Works and Is the URL Encrypted
HTTPS is HTTP over TLS: the URL path, query, headers and cookies are encrypted; the domain still shows in DNS and SNI. How it works, how to check it.
Domains
What Is a Domain Name? Examples, Parts, Cost and How It Works
What is a domain name: real examples broken into parts, domain vs URL and hosting, extensions, cost factors, and how to find, register and check your domain.
Domains
How to Set Up a Domain: Hosting, DNS Records and Email
How to set up a domain: delegate nameservers, add A and CNAME records, handle www, point the domain to an IP and a server, configure MX and SPF, and debug TTL delays.
Networking
How to Find My IP Address: Public, Local, Router, Server
Find your IP address: public IP via an IP lookup or curl ifconfig.me, local IP with ipconfig or ip a, router IP is the gateway, server IP via dig.
DNS
How to Configure DNS Settings: Windows, Mac, Router, Domain
Configure DNS settings: change the DNS server on Windows 11, macOS, Android or a router, or set A, CNAME, MX and NS records for a domain, then verify.
Networking
Static vs Dynamic IP Address: Differences, Examples, How to Check
Static vs dynamic IP explained: how DHCP leases work, whether 192.168 is static, how to check your IP type on any OS, and when a static IP is worth paying for.
Security
JWT token explained: structure, decoding, and verification
JWT token explained: header.payload.signature structure, how to decode a JWT locally or online, why decoding is not verification, classic mistakes and attacks.