A computer network is a collection of computers that share resources shared by network nodes. To communicate with one another, the computers use standard communication protocols across digital linkages. Telecommunication network technologies based on physically wired, optical, and wireless radio-frequency systems that can be assembled in a number of network topologies make up these interconnections.

Personal computers, servers, networking hardware, and other specialized or general-purpose hosts can all be nodes in a computer network. Network addresses and hostnames may be used to identify them. Hostnames serve as easy-to-remember labels for nodes, and they’re rarely modified after they’re assigned. Communication protocols such as the Internet Protocol use network addresses to locate and identify nodes.

The transmission medium used to convey signals, bandwidth, communications protocols to organize network traffic, network size, topology, traffic control mechanism, and organizational goal are all factors that can be used to classify computer networks.

Access to the World Wide Web, digital video, digital music, shared usage of application and storage servers, printers, and fax machines, and use of email and instant messaging programs are all supported via computer networks.